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Delhi is likely to get hotter still this week, with temperatures expected to touch 46°C on Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday, as it issued orange alerts warning of heatwave like conditions for six straight days.
The forecast came even as the maximum temperature at the Safdarjung station — the base weather station for Delhi — soared to 45.1°C, the highest yet this year and 4.7°C above normal for this time of the year.
The oppressive heat also brought with it uncharacteristically high pollution levels, with Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) touching 208 at 4pm, the highest since April 28, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
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The surge prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to enforce Stage 1 anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap). The highest temperature clocked in the city was at Ridge station (46.5°C), with Ayanagar second (45.5°C), followed by Lodhi Road (45.2°C).
The daytime mercury this week is unlikely to fall below 43°C, the weather office said in its bulletin. IMD declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature exceeds 40°C and is at least 4.5°C above normal.
Weather experts said the rising temperatures were due to a lack of continuous weather activity. “There are no active western disturbances, and no cyclonic circulations, while dry, hot winds from the west and northwest are blowing over the city. Such heatwaves are normal for the latter half of May and April, and sometimes early June as well,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president, Skymet Weather, a private weather forecaster.
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Sustained relief, he warned, may be several weeks away.
“Usually, temperatures subside a little in the second half of June, as easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal reach the city,” Palawat said.
Delhi’s peak power demand on Tuesday also surged to the summer’s highest.
According to the city’s State Load Dispatch Centre, the peak power demand was 7,776MW at 3.30pm, up from a high of 7,600MW at 11.11pm on Monday.
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The last time Delhi’s temperature reached 46°C was on May 29, 2024.
According to CAQM’s order, the air quality is likely to get worse and swing to the far end of the “poor” zone this week.
Under Grap Stage 1, agencies across the National Capital Region have been directed to strictly implement pollution-control measures and intensify monitoring to prevent a further dip in air quality.
The commission has also issued directions to curb vehicular pollution caused by vehicles that are running without valid pollution under control certificates, said officials.
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