Information Technology city Bengaluru is no more an air-conditioned city. It was once called the garden city and also air-conditioned city of the country. looking at the sizzling heat wave conditions experts say Bengaluru is hit by the strong El Nino conditions of 2015. Bengaluru and entire Karnataka is reeling under severe heat wave which is driving the State towards a severe drought condition.
According met department records Bengaluru has become unbearable with the mercury level on Sunday touching a peak that was not witnessed during the last 148 years. The city has recorded highest maximum temperature of 39.2 degrees Celsius which is the highest ever recorded for the month of April and also all-time record during the last 148 years, the Meteorological Centre here reported.
“Today, we have recorded the highest-ever maximum temperature of 39.2 degree Celsius for the month of April. It has broken the previous all-time record of 38.3 degree, recorded on April 30, 1931,” Meteorological Regional Observatory Director-in-Charge Geeta Agnihotri told reporters.
For the last couple of days, she said, Bengaluru has been recording maximum temperature of 3-4 degrees above normal. Giving reasons for Karnataka experiencing sizzling heat, Agnihotri said it is due to very strong El Nino conditions recorded in 2015 in the subcontinent and absence of convective activity.
“There is an increase in the temperature throughout the State due to very strong El Nino conditions, which were there in 2015, and this global phenomenon is affecting the Indian subcontinent throughout,” she said.
“This time Bengaluru is hotter than Delhi. Its temperature is in the range of 37 degree Celsius, and we (Bengaluru) have been recording 38 degrees for the last four to five days,” she said.
“It (Bengaluru) has surpassed the highest-ever value of 38.9 degree Celsius that was recorded on May 22, 1931. This observatory has been recording temperature from 1867,” she added.
“There is a complete absence of convective activity in the atmosphere, which has led to rising temperatures, forcing the rains to play truant in this season”, she said. Giving reason for the absence of convective activity, Agnihotri said it is due to lack of moisture over land areas.
“The absence of convective activity is because of lack of moisture over land areas. So, the two anti-cyclones in Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, positioned during this season are unable to pump in sufficient moisture over the land area. As a result, there is no rains and therefore, the temperature is continuously increasing,” she added.
Apart from the Bengaluru , heat wave conditions prevailed throughout the state with Northern Karnataka bearing the brunt. In the southern districts the City of Palaces Mysuru recorded the highest maximum temperature of 39.9 degree Celsius, the highest in 123 years for the month of April. Adjoining Mandya also saw the mercury soaring to 39.6 Degree Celsius, the highest in 43 years. The situation was much worse in Chitradurga where the bulb broke the 40 degree Celsius mark to touch 40.4 deg Celsius, the highest in 123 years.
The meteorological center said the maximum temperature was appreciably above normal at many places, especially in South Interior Karnataka. Raichur in Northern Karnataka recorded the highest reading of 43 degree Celsius.
According to Government records Karnataka is going through one of the worst droughts in three decades. Around 3.1 crore people and 22759 villages are drought struck, leading to a massive exodus of people. Mass exodus and migration to the cities are taking place in Karnataka in search of food, water and shelter.
In Bengaluru, wells have been dug as deep as 1,200 ft and there has been a six-fold dip in water table in urban areas and three-fold fall in rural Karnataka since 2005. Areas such as Mysuru, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi, Karwar, etc are staring at worst days to come since beside the rapid depletion of ground water, whatever water is left is also contaminated.
Union Government has approved Rs723 crore for Karnataka, against the demand of Rs1,417 crore for damage to the rabi or winter crop due to widespread drought.