Under the intense heat conditions, the state capital recorded 44.8 degree celsius in the afternoon and yellow alert has been issued by Met as warning; extreme heat conditions have been witnessed for the second time in the past four decades told Met.
The mercury crossed 44 degrees in the afternoon in Bhopal. The scorching heat can be gauged from the fact that even the asphalt of the roads in the city has melted which was seen at Kamla Park, near Bhoj Setu.
On Monday, the third day of Nautapa, there was scorching heat in Bhopal. The temperature was 33 degrees at 5.30 in the morning. At 8.30 am it came down to 35.4 degrees, while at 11.30 am it was recorded at 41.4 degrees. After this the effect of heat increased further. The temperature was recorded at 44 degrees at 2.30 pm. Yellow alert has been issued in Bhopal on Monday.
Earlier last night the mercury had reached a record 32.7 degrees. This night was the hottest of May. The night temperature has never reached this high till now. On May 23, for the first time this season, the night temperature was recorded at 31.2 degree celsius.
The Meteorological Department says that Bhopal is experiencing such severe heat for the second time in 40 years. The temperature in Bhopal had reached 45.4 degrees amid the heat wave on Sunday. Earlier in 2016, on May 21, the day temperature was recorded at 46.7 degrees.
According to meteorologists, the mercury has crossed 45 in Bhopal only twice since 1983. Rajgarh was the hottest in the state. Then the temperature was recorded at 46.8 degrees.
In view of the havoc of heat in the capital Bhopal, the standing time during red light at traffic signals is being reduced to half. Signal timings are being halved at 14 major intersections from 11 am to 4 pm on Tuesday.
DCP Traffic Sanjay Singh said that the police department has taken these steps to provide relief from the heat. In Bhopal, the timing on signals will be halved from Tuesday, due to which drivers will not have to wait for long at intersections.
Changes are being made in the signal timing for the afternoon. The timing of 14 signals including Jyoti Talkies, Roshanpura and Lalghati intersection will be halved.
There is a trend of scorching heat in Bhopal in the month of May. In 8 out of 10 years the temperature has crossed 44 degrees. In the year 2016, this record was 46.7 degrees. This year, the heat remained mild in the first fortnight, but from May 18 onwards it started becoming extremely hot.
The mercury reached 44.4 degrees on 23 May and 45.4 degrees on 26 May. This is the highest of the season. This year it is becoming hotter than last year.
Heat is affecting people's health. This is the reason why even on Sunday, a holiday, more than 400 people came to the OPD of JP Hospital for treatment.
Most of these patients had come with complaints of vomiting, diarrhea, fever and stomach pain.
Of these, five patients had to be admitted to hospital due to heat stroke. Generally, the OPD of the hospital on Sunday is between 200 to 250. But, due to the heat, people's health is deteriorating, hence the OPD of the hospital has also increased.
