With every passing day, the scorching hot sun that hovered until last night is the steady heat of this blazing summer, relentlessly rising and challenging our and animals’ endurance beyond its limits. In a new alert, IMD, the state forecaster, now forecasts that the weather system could extend through May 21, which is tomorrow.
However, the temperatures this week have really freaked out everyone, especially with a record 47°C set at Najagarh in South West Delhi, the country with the highest temperature. This follows yesterday’s alert from the IMD, and it can be taken as an indicator of the severe nature of the heatwave in progress.
The Meteorological department is alarmed about the chances of the emergence of heatwaves as severe conditions are predicted to appear in many states such as Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. Adjacent states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, MP, West Bengal, and Odisha also predict heatwaves. The area of these states will witness some degree of changeable heatwaves in the next weeks.
In Himachal Pradesh, the region of Una has recorded the season’s highest temperature of 43. ‘Indore, the Indore heat wave of 2016, was the hottest temperature ever recorded in Madhya Pradesh and the second-highest in the country when Agra.
Uttar Pradesh at 46°C logged the second-worst heat.'” 9°C. Chandigarh sank under the mercury fire, too, reaching its highest with 44. The temperature of 5°C broke the previous record of the third-highest local minimum in the city’s history.
Just as it was for people, the overwhelming heat in the region prompted authorities to take special measures to ensure that animals are healthy. Some animals’ diets are to be reduced, with sloth bears drinking barley-based juices and eating fruit popsicles and herbivores like deer being fed watermelon and cucumbers. Similarly, at the Kanpur Zoo, sprinklers and coolers have also been provided to help the animals maintain freshness.
As the heatwave becomes very severe, public health experts advise quenching thirst, minimizing the duration spent outdoors, and following proper measures to ward off heat-related health problems. The authorities have been putting all their energies into minimizing the impact of this extreme weather and making the surrounding environment safe and conducive for the people.
