Delhi records hottest night ever as relentless heatwave claims five lives
An intensifying heatwave sweeping northern India has killed five more people in Delhi as the capital recorded the hottest night ever.
The extreme heat has hit the poor and the homeless the hardest and they accounted for all the latest fatalities in Delhi.
The deaths were reported from the city’s hospitals from Monday to Wednesday.
Frequent power cuts and water shortages have compounded the struggles of the capital’s 20 million residents, the Times of India reported.
Several dozen people, mostly labourers, security guards and outdoors workers, have reportedly been admitted to hospitals with symptoms related to heatstroke.
The sustained extreme heat in Delhi at the moment is pretty terrifying.
Look at those night-time temps, too.
This is an urban area of 33 MILLION people
And at least another week of it... pic.twitter.com/pYNGRb4kIH— Leo Hickman (@LeoHickman) June 19, 2024
Even in AC homes Delhi heat is unbearable
Yet, daily wagers are exerting under the sun, in tunnels with no ventilation, coming out nearly unconscious, drenched in sweat
This is inhumane
Are we waiting for heatwave deaths to rise?
Workers need governmnt help & they need it now! pic.twitter.com/frgCnML0zA— Sadhika Tiwari (@sadhika_tiwari) June 19, 2024
The city experienced the hottest night ever on Wednesday with the minimum temperature scaling to 35.2C, eight degrees above normal, according to the weather department.
It was the hottest night since records began in 1969, breaking the previous record of 34.7C on 3 June 2010.
Northern India has been reeling under a prolonged heatwave this summer with temperatures hovering around 45C for days.
The country has reported hundreds of deaths from heatstroke since May, including dozens of workers engaged in conducting the national election that concluded early this month.
Government data released in May suggested 60 people had died from heat-related illnesses between March and May. But activists said the actual number was far higher.
It’s so hot in Delhi that bats are dropping dead from trees. pic.twitter.com/OmYXlxsllV
— Radhika Govindrajan (@r_gov11) June 18, 2024
Was washing my hands with tap water and felt it was too hot. Checked the temperature and look how much it is- 75°C! The day isn't far when you can cook Maggi without a stove. Delhi weather is really outdoing itself at this point. pic.twitter.com/gBctZ4e21K
— Shahzeb Khan (@theshahzebkhan) June 17, 2024
The need for cooling has increased the load on the capital’s power grid with consumption soaring to a record 8,647 megawatts this week.
On Tuesday, the demand for power peaked at 89,000 megawatts with many localities suffering frequent power cuts.
The city’s international airport also witnessed a power cut for several minutes, impacting operations.
Pictures shared on social media showed passengers queued up at check-in counters as the staff tried to restart their systems.
There is a water crisis as well with several areas in the city reporting no to very low supply, forcing residents to buy from water tankers at inflated prices.
