A person makes his manner by way of a water logged highway in New Delhi on July 09, 2024
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
In the previous two months, Delhi has witnessed two excessive climate events: days of unrelenting warmth in May adopted by heavy rains in June. The capital additionally skilled the hottest-ever nights in June and year-round air pollution, making it a troublesome yr.
On June 28, the much-awaited arrival of the south-west monsoon become a nightmare when homes and streets obtained flooded. At least 5 folks misplaced their lives, together with a taxi driver who died when a cover at the airport collapsed on him. According to the India Meteorological Department’s gridded information, the metropolis acquired the highest-ever rainfall for a day in June (150.7 mm) since 1951 (Chart 1) . The earlier excessive for a day in June was 97.3 mm of rainfall — over 50mm decrease than the newest report — which occurred on June 30, 1981.
Chart 1 | The chart exhibits the each day rainfall acquired by Delhi on each June day since 1951. Each dot corresponds to rainfall recorded in every June day between 1951 and 2024.
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Just a month earlier, Delhi was sweltering beneath record-breaking warmth. A report by a non-profit organisation, Centre for Holistic Development, acknowledged that 192 homeless folks died as a consequence of a heatwave in the capital (June 11-19). In May and June this yr, for 38 consecutive days, the metropolis’s most temperatures crossed the 40°C mark. On May 28, Delhi recorded a most temperature of 47.5°C, the highest-ever for a day in May in the capital since 1951 (Chart 2) . The second-highest (47.3°C) was recorded on May 29, the subsequent day.
Chart 2 | The chart exhibits the each day most temperature in Delhi on each May day since 1951. Each dot corresponds to most temperature recorded in every May day between 1951 and 2024.
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Nights didn’t present reduction both. The common minimal temperature for June this yr was 29.6°C, the highest for any month since 1951 (Chart 3). Â
Chart 3 | The chart exhibits the common minimal temperature for all months since 1951.
Moreover, PM2.5 ranges above India’s permissible restrict of 60 micrograms per cubic metre have been recorded on practically all the days of November, December, and January (Chart 4). This was the case throughout many days of August too, when air pollution is in any other case low.
Chart 4 | The chart exhibits the common each day PM2.5 ranges recorded in Anand Vihar station. The gray dotted line signifies India’s permissible restrict of 60 micrograms per cubic metre.
Source: Central Pollution Control Board, India Meteorological Department
nihalani.j@thehindu.co.in
