Indian capital city recorded its highest ever temperature of 52.9-degree Celsius

On 29th May, the Indian capital city New Delhi recorded its highest-ever temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued red health alert notification for Delhi stating that there is a very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heatstroke in all ages.  

The exceptionally high temperatures have caused a spike in power demand which reached its all-time high at 8300 megawatts on 29th May afternoon. The high temperatures have also impacted the already strained city water supply causing the Delhi water board to impose a fine on citizens found to be wasting water. At present, activities and actions such as overflow of water tanks, washing of cars and other vehicles, and use of domestic water supply for construction and commercial purposes are not allowed. Furthermore, on 30th October the heatwave claimed life of a 40-year-old worker from a pipeline fitting factory who suffered from a heatstroke. 

This shows how the unusual heat wave has affected people’s daily lives by causing health issues, school closures, water supply restrictions, difficulty for outdoor workers, and power outages. As high temperatures become the new normal it is a health crisis for the vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, women, workers and those from economically weaker section of the society. According to a Lancet report, extreme heat is responsible for a 55% increase in mortality in India between 2017 and 2021. Temperature increases claimed the lives of over 4,000 people between 2015 and 2022. Moreover, the loss of income caused by heatwaves equals to 5.4% of India’s GDP. 

Other Himalayan Indian states from north such as Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are also experiencing heat stress. These exceptionally high temperatures can be attributed to climate change impacts such as melting of glaciers and ice that previously reflected excess sunlight in the Himalayan region, record low rainfall in the monsoon season, and warming Indian Ocean linked to El Nino events. (Ravindra, 2024). There is a high likelihood of increase in frequency and intensity of heatwaves due to intensified global warming, causing irreversible health crises. We need urgent phasing out of fossil fuels, reduction of greenhouse emissions and regional climate model to better understand the dynamics of climatic shifts in a particular region. 

For more information, visit our webpage on extreme heat stress

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