New Delhi: Amid IMD reports stating that the national capital experienced the highest temperature ever, Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "It is not official yet. Temperature of 52.3°C in Delhi is very unlikely. Our senior officials in India Meteorological Department (IMD) have been asked to verify the news report. The official position will be stated soon."
Minutes later he also shared the IMD's statement according to which temperature across Delhi have witnessed close to 50 degree Celsius temperature.
However, the statement added that "Mungeshpur reported 52.9 degree Celsius as an outliner compared to other stations. It could be due to error in the sensor or the local factor. IMD is examining the data and sensors."
IMD Director General, Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, told ETV Bharat that it is an ongoing phenomenon. "As part of this, there is a rise in temperature, which causes global warming. In India also, we've seen a rise in surface temperature and as a result of that, there is an increase in certain extreme weather impacts, including an increment in heatwave days or an increase in heavy rainfall while there is a decrease in light of moderate rainfall," he added.
Citizens in the national capital experienced a blazing heatwave. Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has issued instructions to give labourers on ground a break during peak heat hours between 12 noon and 3 pm, LG office said on Wednesday. As per the letter issued by Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Delhi, the arrangement will continue across all sites till temperatures subside below 40 degree Celsius.
LG had recently instructed Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for making adequate arrangements for water and coconut water for labour who have been deployed at various construction sites to keep them hydrated, it said.
To deal with on-going heat wave situation and provide relief to people, Delhi Chief Secretary has been asked to call a meeting of officers of all works departments including Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), I&FC, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Power department and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and issue necessary directions for protecting the labour and supervisory staff from extreme heat condition.
Apart from this, direction has also been given to put earthen pots with drinking water at Bus queue shelters to provide relief to passengers waiting under scorching heat and other pedestrians. Tankers with treated water of STP’s will be deployed for sprinkling on the roads which would cool down temperature, the letter read.
In addition, water sprinklers which were deployed on high rise buildings and roads for tackling pollution should be re-energised for a salutary impact on the air temperature, it said.
On Wednesday, the minimum temperature recorded was 29.4 degrees Celsius, 2.8 notches above the seasons' normal, the IMD said. The humidity level was 43 per cent at 8.30 AM. The maximum temperature is likely to cross 46 degrees Celsius in many parts of the city. On Tuesday, the national capital saw blistering heat as parts of Delhi singed, with temperatures soaring close to 50 degrees Celsius.
