IMD Heatwave Delhi Hot Night Cause and Solution: The entire North India including Delhi-NCR is facing intense heat and heatwaves. The heat is so intense that forget about the days, even the nights are making people restless and people are unable to sleep.
The night temperature is breaking records in many cities of North India including Delhi-NCR. The temperature on Tuesday night in Delhi has broken a 55-year record. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has informed that Tuesday night was the hottest night in June in Delhi since 1969.
The temperature last night at Safdarjung weather station was recorded at 35.4 degrees Celsius, which is the highest in the last 55 years, while the previous record was only 34.7 degrees Celsius. In the last 24 hours, 10 people have died in Delhi due to heatwave, while 13 have been put on ventilators.
Meanwhile, IMD has said that due to the effect of Western Disturbance, northern parts of the country including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are expected to get some relief from the scorching heat till June 21, but the question is why are the nights getting so hot in cities like Delhi and why is the mercury setting new records. Questions are also being raised as to why is Delhi becoming a heat island?
Why are cities becoming furnaces?
Dr. Devendra Prasad Singh, Director Research, Institute for Environment Research and Rural Development (IERARD), a research institute based in Patna and retired head of the Geography Department of Patliputra University.
He told that the situation has become so dire because of the construction going on in Delhi and surrounding areas and the concrete jungle that is increasing every year. Actually, concrete buildings absorb heat during the day and release it at night. Due to this, the minimum night temperature in cities is increasing.
Dr Singh said that this year’s climatic conditions, the indifference of monsoon, recent cyclones, concretisation of cities, obstruction of air movement by high-rise buildings, rising air pollution and increasing traffic congestion in cities and modern lifestyle have further aggravated the development of urban thermal islands in cities like Delhi.
He said that Urban Thermal Island, also known as Heat Island, is usually a metropolitan area which is hotter than the surroundings.
The factors behind this include high population density, high concrete buildings, and appliances like AC, refrigerators used in homes and other greenhouse gas emissions.
He said that construction work is increasing in Delhi and surrounding areas, while green areas are shrinking.
what is the solution
When asked about the solution to this problem, he stressed on balanced development and balanced lifestyle.
Dr. Singh said that green belts will have to be developed in cities like Delhi and emphasis will have to be laid on increasing greenery in NCR. Apart from this, to reduce pollution from vehicles, public transport system will have to be strengthened and people will have to develop interest in it.
Options like suburban rail service like Mumbai will have to be considered and common people will have to return to the old lifestyle along with balanced use of electronic devices like AC.
He said that green belt development will have to be made a mandatory condition in high-rise buildings and an action plan will have to be made to change the development pattern.
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