The longest heat wave in recent memory continued for a fifth day in the Capital. While the mercury hit 45.5 degrees Celsius in Safdarjung, it touched 47.6 degrees Celsius in sparsely vegetated Palam. A heat wave is defined as a prolonged period of temperatures five degrees Celsius above normal.
“Usually, a Western Disturbance forms over Kashmir, which causes low-level cyclonic circulation in Delhi and surrounding areas leading to thunderstorms. This month, Kashmir has been unusually calm,” said R.K. Jenamani, director in-charge of the Aerodrome Meteorological Office, Palam.
Storms, he explained, raise dust, which covers the sky. This protects the city from direct sunlight and gives it time to cool. But in the past few days neither has a disturbance developed in the North West nor has the depression in Delhi shown the makings of a storm, except for a short spell on Sunday evening when winds velocity increased to 50 kilometres per hour in Palam.
“Whether the depression is likely to become a storm may only be known by tomorrow,” L.S. Rathore, director general of Meteorology told The Hindu .
It’s not just the skies of Kashmir, but also the snakes in the Capital that have been at peace. “In the summers, snakes come out to look for cooler places and incidence of snake bites increase. This year, however, we have had no reports of snake bites so far. The mongooses in Delhi also keep them in check,” A.K. Shukla, Chief Wildlife Warden of Delhi said.
A cobra was spotted at the Yamuna Bank metro station on Monday and Mr. Shukla added that there were reports of snakes from Civil Lines a few days ago. “We were surprised to find a mound of garbage in a posh area like Civil Lines. Snakes are attracted to garbage dumps. Most snakes in Delhi are non-poisonous, however, we keep anti-venom ready at the zoo,” he explained.
Due to the absence of migration routes, nilgais, foxes and hyenas often become road kills when they venture out for cooler pastures. The Forest Department has kept its artificial reservoirs full and their surroundings wooded in sanctuary areas. Like wildlife, humans, too, are leaving home to beat the heat.
“We live on the top floor and it becomes unbearable to sit at home after 2 p.m. on weekends. But even the malls and cinemas are jam packed. We couldn’t even get tickets for a morning show of a flop film,” young professional R. Smriti said.
The wave is also trending on twitter under the hashtag #delhiheat. Restaurateur Rajat Kalia tweeted, “Can I have a bottle of ice ? ( coz by the time it’ll reach u, it’ll b chilled water).” BJP MP Anurag Thakur also tweeted: “Today, in my constituency discussing projects & initiatives we can start here + happy to be away frm #DelhiHeat !”
