India’s heatwaves have entered a dangerous new phase. The warning sign comes after sunset |
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India’s heatwaves have entered a dangerous new phase. The warning sign comes after sunset
Birds are falling from the sky, fish are dying in Delhi lakes, schools are shutting early and farmers are working through the night as temperatures surge across India.
New Delhi: In the summer of 2024, birds and bats fell dead from the skies in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and parts of Delhi. This year, fish lay lifeless at the bottom of a dried-up Sanjay Lake. This is what happens when the mercury shoots past 40 degrees Celsius and streets turn into ovens. India entered the summer season a little late this year. But now, the heat is here with a vengeance.
Even the nights offer no relief now. On Thursday night, Delhi’s minimum temperature was 31.9 degrees Celsius, 5.2 degrees higher than normal and the highest nighttime temperature in May in nearly 14 years. The last time the city saw such a sweltering night was on 27 May 2012, when Kolkata Knight Riders won their first-ever Indian Premier League title by defeating Chennai Super Kings.
In north, central, and east India, temperatures hovered between 40 and 46 degrees this week, with Banda in Uttar Pradesh clocking 48.2 degrees for the third consecutive day on Thursday — the highest in the country.
India is not new to heatwaves. But this time daily life has been disrupted to an unusual degree. Schools have brought forward summer vacations, markets are emptying out by the afternoon, and some farmers in UP have taken to working at night. Yet, even sundown is barely offering respite. The power grid is stretched to its limits, with the heat pushing India’s electricity demand to an all-time high this week. And the IMD’s forecast for June is no kinder. That’s why India’s heatwaves are ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.
At 2:20 pm........