Hours After Delhi Burns At 52.3 Degrees, A Rain Cameo

Two hours after Delhi recorded the country's highest-ever temperature at 52.3 degrees Celsius, the national capital received showers this afternoon, bringing some respite from the extreme heat.

Delhi has been reeling under severe heatwave conditions over the past few days. While the maximum temperature has been hovering around the 50 degrees Celsius mark, the minimum is inching closer to the 30 degrees.

The weather office had earlier warned of extreme heat in most parts of the national capital. The India Meteorological Department forecast for today predicted a maximum temperature of 45.8 degrees. However, at 2.30 pm today, the weather station in Delhi's Mungeshpur recorded a temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius, the highest-ever in any part of India.

According to IMD regional head Kuldeep Srivastava, areas such as Mungeshpur and Narela on Delhi's outskirts are the first to receive hot winds coming in from Rajasthan, leading to extreme heat conditions. "Parts of Delhi are particularly susceptible to the early arrival of these hot winds, worsening the already severe weather. Areas like Mungeshpur, Narela and Najafgarh are the first to experience the full force of these hot winds," he said, according to a PTI report.

Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather, said, "In open areas with vacant land, there is increased radiation. Direct sunlight and lack of shade make these regions exceptionally hot. When wind blows from the west, it affects these areas first. As they are on the outskirts, temperatures rise rapidly," Mr Palawat added.

As the national capital sizzles and air-conditioners run overtime, power demand has gone up. Power demand in Delhi touched an all-time high of 8,302 MW today, officials have said.

The officials said this is the first time in the history of the national capital that power demand has crossed the 8,300-MW mark -- 100 MW more than what power distribution companies had predicted.

To add to Delhiites' problems, a water crisis is on the horizon. Delhi minister Atishi has said the Haryana government is not giving the national capital its share of Yamuna water and this has led to water crisis in some areas. The AAP government today directed Delhi Jal Board to form 200 teams to monitor and minimise water wastage. Washing cars with hose pipes, overflowing tanks and use of drinking water for commercial purposes will now attract a fine of Rs 2,000.