Delhi Records Hottest Day of Year at 43°C, IMD Issues Heatwave Alert

NEW DELHI: The city experienced its hottest day of the year on Thursday. The Ridge logged 43 degrees Celsius, which was the highest maximum temperature this season. The Met department has predicted heatwaves on Friday and Saturday as the temperature could rise more. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave alert across north-west India for the next four to five days, and central and east India for the next 2-3 days, urging people to stay hydrated and avoid the sun. On Thursday, at 41.7 degrees Celsius, Safdarjung recorded its highest maximum temperature so far, against 40.7 degrees Celsius a day earlier. Thursday's temperature was four notches above normal. On April 17, the base station recorded 41 degrees Celsius, now the second highest this season. The Ridge was the hottest area in the city, followed by Mungeshpur at 42.1, Palam at 41.6, and Lodhi Road at 41.4. IMD did not declare an isolated heatwave for the Ridge, although the temperature there was 4.6 degrees above normal, For heatwaves, the maximum temperature must be above 40 degrees Celsius and the departure from the normal has to be more than 4.5 degrees. The minimum temperature was 25.4 degrees Celsius, 2.5 notches above normal, against 21.6 degrees Celsius a day earlier. The Met department expects the maximum to hover around 42-44 degrees on Friday and Saturday, leading to a heatwave. The minimum temperature too will see a surge. Last year, April saw three heatwave days in the first half. This year, persistent western disturbances kept temperatures lower in April. "Gradual rise by 1-2°C in maximum temperatures over Delhi during next two days, no large change in subsequent 24 hours and fall by 1-2°C thereafter. Maximum temperatures are likely to be above normal to appreciably above normal during next 5 days," IMD said. On Thursday, the air quality improved to moderate. At 4 pm it was 176, against 216, or poor, a day earlier. Meanwhile, CAQM said that it had held an inspection to see how road dust contributed to pollution and the effectiveness of cleaning and sweeping. "A total of 34 violations of visible road dust were observed on different stretches, including Mahakavi Goswami Tulsidas Marg, Keshopur Road, Najafgarh Road, Vedic Marg, Satguru Ram Singh Marg, Ring Road Punjabi Bagh, Baba Ramdev Marg, Malkaganj Road, Ramlal Kapoor Marg, Shanti Swaroop Tyagi Marg, Azadpur Road, Bhalswa Dairy Road and Faiz Road," CAQM said. adding that the violations pertain to road dust and accumulation of C&D waste at multiple locations across the inspected zones.. CAQM directed the authorities, particularly MCD, to strengthen dust control measures and ensure regular mechanised sweeping of roads, effective water sprinkling, prompt removal of C&D waste and strict enforcement against unauthorised dumping.