The national Capital witnessed temperatures soaring to 50 degrees celsius for the sixth continuous day on Friday as Mungeshpur area, which has recorded 53 degrees celsius on Thursday, recorded a roasting temperature of 49.6 degrees celsius.
In the areas in the northwest border of Delhi like Mungeshpur, Narela and Najafgarh, temperature hovered around 50 degrees celsius for about a week. In Narela, the maximum temperature recorded was 49.4 degrees celsius, while in Najafgarh it was 49.2 degrees celsius.
Albeit, bringing respite to the heat stricken public of Delhi, reeling under temperature soaring more than 45 degrees celsius consistently and prevailing heatwave conditions for the past few days, light rain and thunderstorm have been forecast on Friday for the city. While, the maximum temperature recorded at the Safdurjung station, considered as a parameter for the whole of Delhi, is 45.8 degrees Celsius, 6 degrees above the normal, the minimum temperature settled at 27 degrees celsius according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Humidity was recorded at 23 per cent at 6:30 pm.
The IMD predicted a partly cloudy sky with heat wave to severe heat wave conditions with the possibility of a dust storm. There is a possibility of thunderstorms with very light rain drizzle accompanied with gusty winds with speeds of 25 to 35 kmph.
Amid the roasting temperature in the national capital, Delhiites have been grappling with issues of water shortage and power cuts due to unprecedented summer heat with temperatures hovering around the 50 degrees Celsius mark in parts of the city. Residents have been facing such water crises across various parts of the national capital, including Chanakyapuri’s Sanjay Camp area and East Delhi’s Geeta Colony. Videos on social media show desperate citizens rushing at the sight of tankers to fetch water for their survival. Another one showed people lining up outside the Delhi Jal Board (DJB)’s water emergency counter to book tankers. People living in the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) area, Patel Nagar, North and South Delhi, including areas like Mehrauli and Chattarpur, are also facing similar issues.
Upon the issue of water shortage, both the ruling AAP led Delhi government and BJP are face to face with the former approaching the Supreme Court over the alleged non release of Delhi’s water share by Haryana. The BJP, in turn, are blaming Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for creating this crisis by doing corruption.
Meanwhile, the Delhi University on Thursday said 25 water coolers will be installed at various spots on the premises to address the ongoing water crisis on the campus. The decision was taken in a meeting of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) representatives and DU officials, according to a statement.
A student delegation led by DUSU Secretary Aparajita met Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh to present a memorandum detailing various campus-related demands. The memorandum highlighted the urgent need for clean and cold drinking water, particularly in the Faculty of Arts, Central Library, and North Campus hostels.
Recognising the severity of the ongoing heat wave in the national capital, Singh instructed the installation of 25 water coolers across the campus. He also assured the student delegation that the university would take immediate and further necessary steps to improve campus facilities.
Additionally, in a statement, the JNUSU announced that the Jawaharlal Nehru University can also set up water collection centres and check dams within the campus in view of students’ long standing demand to address the issue of water scarcity at the university.
