The extreme heat of summer in Delhi is not restricted to the day anymore. Nighttime too has failed to provide any respite, with Delhi registering its highest May night temperature in 14 years recently. As per the data provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature stood at a sweltering 31 degrees at the Safdarjung observatory – a massive rise of 5.2 degrees above the normal for the season.
The previous time that Delhi had recorded such a high nighttime temperature in the month of May was way back in 2012 on the 26th May. Such intense heat is now taking a toll on people and infrastructure across the city of Delhi. There have been reports of a steep increase in the number of patients visiting hospitals for heat emergencies in the region.
Several patients have reportedly arrived in hospitals in a critical condition and suffering from heatstroke, dehydration, and changed levels of consciousness because of exposure to heat. Moreover, the electrical system in the city too is under immense pressure. With the continuous use of air conditioning at night, the city’s peak demand of electricity reached 8,231 MW on Thursday.
According to power distributors, there is a likelihood of breaching the record high of 9,000 MW owing to this heat wave continuing for some more time. Moreover, another critical issue is the rise in the number of fires witnessed in the city, with most of these fires being caused due to overheating of electrical transformers and short circuits. The situation is not looking favorable for people of Delhi in the coming days as IMD has put an ‘orange alert’ warning with temperatures expected to remain at $46^\circ \text{C}$.
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