 AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, May 16: Director General of India Meteorological Department Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Monday said Delhi breaching the 49-degrees-mark in certain areas on Sunday, was a local urban phenomena and has nothing to do with climate change.
"High temperature in certain pockets in Delhi was due to urbanization, lack of vegetation, concrete structures and population density" he told UNI.
Mohapatra said "only two observatory centers in Delhi have shown the temperature of more than 49 degrees , but the two main weather observatory centers, Safdarjung and Palam have shown an average temperature of 46 degrees Celsius". On Sunday, the maximum temperature of Delhi was recorded at 45.6 degrees, while in Mungeshpur (northwest), and Najafgarh (southwest) -- both western districts reached 49.2 degrees and 49.1 degrees Celsius, respectively.
"Heatwave generally occur in the month of May and this kind of heatwave is usual in this month.
"This year the spell of heatwave started on May 8 and it prevailed in the Western, Central and Northern parts of the country… but not spread in the eastern parts…. It is confined only to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh," Mohapatra said.
"Whenever there is absence of air from the middle troposphere towards the surface, temperature will rise and practically in the month of May it is very usual" he added.
Mohapatra also said the temperature will start reducing from today (Monday) and so will the heatwave.
"We have seen the cloudy sky in Delhi today… which itself is a sign of reducing temperature in the city but the maximum temperature will hover around 41 to 42 degrees," he said.
As per the IMD, the maximum temperature of Delhi can be 41 degrees on Monday , which is expected to be 4.6 degrees less than the maximum temperature recorded on Sunday.
Delhi has seen a huge area of under-construction activity starting with the heart of the city at Central Vista, Metro connectivity extension at Burari, Delhi-Meerut rail route, besides regular fire incidents, including the Mundka tragedy, Bhalsawa and Ghazipur landfill sites fires. |
