New Delhi recorded the highest temperature ever measured on Wednesday, 126 degrees Fahrenheit (52.3 degrees Celsius), while residents of the Indian capital have been suffering for weeks under a heat wave that has seen temperatures well above 110 degrees in several Indian states.
In New Delhi, where walking out of the house feels like walking into an oven, officials fear the power grid may be overwhelmed and the city's water supplies may need to be rationed.
The past 12 months have been recorded as the hottest in Earth's history, with cities like Miami experiencing extreme heat before summer even arrives. Scientists this week said that over the past year, the average person on Earth has experienced 26 more days of abnormally high temperatures than would have been the case without human-induced climate change.
Although a late afternoon dust storm and light drizzle in New Delhi brought some reprieve on Wednesday, the Mungeshpur weather station northwest of the capital recorded 126 degrees around 2.30pm, scientist Dr. Kuldeep Srivastava said. The Delhi Regional Meteorological Center announced that this was the highest temperature ever recorded by the automatic weather monitoring system installed in 2010.
In a statement Wednesday evening, India's Meteorological Department said the Mungeshpur station was “unique compared to other stations”. It said it was assessing whether the station recording higher temperatures than other stations around Delhi was due to an error or local mitigating factors.
The previous high temperature record of 48 degrees Celsius (about 118.5 degrees Fahrenheit) has been broken repeatedly in recent days. Three of New Delhi's weather stations recorded above 49.8 degrees Celsius (121.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, setting a new record even before it hit 52.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday afternoon.
For weeks, temperatures have been well above 110 degrees in several states in northern India, and hospitals have reported an increase in heat stroke cases. Hundreds of forest fires have been reported in the Himalayan state.
Fatal fires in crowded buildings occur regularly in India, many of them due to short circuits. As temperatures rise, concerns about danger are also growing.
Delhi Fire Chief Atul Garg said the number of fire-related calls per day was over 200, the highest in a decade.
“Typically during this period, over the last eight to 10 years, we would get 160 calls a day,” Mr. Garg said. “In terms of manpower, we are short.”
The heat wave coincides with India's general election campaign, with the final voting phase scheduled for June 1. Candidates, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition leaders, continued holding large public rallies despite the sweltering heat.
Cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari, who is running for re-election, fainted due to heat waves while speaking at a rally, and on Tuesday, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi took a break during his speech and poured bottled water on his head.
“It’s pretty hot, right?” he said
To conserve water amid extreme heat, Delhi's water minister Atishi Marlena announced the deployment of 200 teams to crack down on waste and misuse. Fines will be imposed for activities such as washing cars with a hose, “overfilling water tanks,” and “using domestic water for construction or commercial purposes,” she said.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has ordered measures to protect construction workers in the midday heat and provide water to bus stops.
The state broadcaster reported that Prime Minister Saxena, who was appointed by Prime Minister Modi, also urged construction workers to get 'paid leave' between noon and 3pm. However, it did not specify how it would be implemented. The administration was paralyzed due to infighting between the deputy governor of the metropolitan area and the elected prime minister.
The extent to which the heat has affected daily life in the Indian capital was captured in an adjournment order from the Consumer Disputes Court last week, at the start of the most severe period of the heat wave.
Suresh Kumar Gupta, a resident official, complained that there was no air-conditioning in the rooms and water supply in bathrooms was also affected.
He said, “It’s so hot in the courtroom that it makes me sweat and it’s hard to hear the arguments.” “Under these circumstances, arguments cannot be heard and the case is heard.”
Jitender Singh, 42, a rickshaw driver in the city's east, said business had dropped by about a third as people did not leave their homes. He said that he and his colleagues often fell ill.
“But we have to go out and support our families,” he added.