Unrelenting Heatwave Disrupts Daily Life, Severe Warning For Delhi, Bihar

The unrelenting heat turned daily activities into an arduous task in large parts of India on Sunday, with Najafgarh in southwest Delhi reaching a sweltering 47.8 degrees Celsius -- the highest in the country so far this season.

The crippling heat strained low-income households, which often have poor access to water and cooling, and tested the endurance of outdoor workers toiling in the searing sun, forcing them to take frequent breaks.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported a severe heat wave in parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Even the hill stations in Himachal Pradesh, safe havens for people escaping the punishing heat in the plains, reeled from the scorching conditions.

Maximum temperatures reached 36 degrees Celsius in Dharamshala, 44.4 degrees in Una, 42.4 degrees in Bilaspur, 36.6 degrees in Solan and 40 degrees in Kangra.

The Met office has issued a red warning for Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, stressing the need for "extreme care for vulnerable people". An orange alert was issued for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat, emphasising "high health concern" for vulnerable people, including infants, the elderly, and those with chronic diseases.

The mercury reached or surpassed 47 degrees Celsius in at least eight places across India, with Najafgarh logging a searing 47.8 degrees, making it the warmest place in the country for the second time in the last three days.

In the national capital, Pitampura recorded 47 degrees Celsius and Mungeshpur 47.7 degrees, at least seven notches above the usual temperature for these areas at this time of the year.

According to a new analysis of airport site weather data, Delhi reached or surpassed 40 degrees Celsius on 1,557 days (around 43 per cent) in the last 10 years.

The densely packed city recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius on 1,254 days (around 34 per cent) during 2004-2013 and 1,180 days (around 32 per cent) during 1994-2003, according to the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).

In Rajasthan, the mercury soared to 46.7 degrees Celsius in Sriganganagar and Anta, 46.6 degrees in Churu, 46.5 degrees in Dholpur and Jalore, 46.2 degrees in Kota, 46.1 degrees in Pilani (Jhunjhunu) and Karauli, 45.9 degrees in Jaipur, 45.8 degrees in Barmer and Phalodi, 45.6 degrees in Jodhpur and 45.5 degrees in Jaisalmer.

Nuh in Haryana recorded a blistering high of 47.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday, while Sirsa sizzled at 47 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature was recorded at 45.6 degrees Celsius in Hisar, 46 degrees Celsius in Mahendragarh, 45.2 degrees Celsius in Rohtak, 45.1 degrees Celsius in Gurugram, 46.1 degrees Celsius in Jhajjar, 43.8 degrees Celsius in Ambala and 44 degrees Celsius in Bhiwani.

Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab and Haryana, recorded a high of 44.2 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a maximum temperature of 43.9 degrees Celsius while Faridkot recorded a high of 44 degrees Celsius. The mercury settled at 45 degrees Celsius in Patiala and 44.2 degrees Celsius in Ludhiana. Gurdaspur recorded a high of 43.5 degrees while Mohali registered a maximum of 43.4 degrees. Pathankot's maximum settled at 44.6 degrees Celsius, while Bathinda recorded 47.7 degrees.

Madhya Pradesh's Datia saw 47.5 degrees, while in Uttar Pradesh, Agra recorded 47.7 degrees and Jhansi recorded 47.2 degrees.

High heat and humidity also troubled residents in coastal areas of Gujarat.

The IMD, in its bulletin on Sunday, predicted heatwave conditions for the next five days in many parts of north India.

Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are very likely in many pockets of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi from Monday to Thursday.

In west Rajasthan, heatwave to severe heatwave conditions could be seen on May 21-23, while in Rajasthan it will be seen on May 22-23.

In western UP, heatwave conditions could be observed from May 19-21 while in eastern UP, they may be seen on May 19-20.

The threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches.

A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal exceeds 6.4 notches.

Anna Walnycki, a principal researcher on IIED's human settlements team, said the alarming rise in extreme heat events in India due to climate change is significantly impacting the health, wellbeing and productivity of everyone, especially those living in low-income and informal communities.

"Low-income households have limited capacity to adapt to extreme heat because of poor access to water and electricity. In addition, the design and construction of informal houses often mean there is poor ventilation and little shelter from extreme heat," she said.

Chandni Singh, senior researcher at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and IPCC lead author, said state and city-level heat action plans are proving "insufficient to deal with the heat we are now experiencing." In urban areas, Singh noted, the experience of heat depends on factors such as residential location, occupation, and access to cooling.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"BJP Has The Upper Hand, Everyone Knows It": PM To NDTV On 2024 Polls

"Hamara palda bahut bhari hai (The scales are tilted in our favour)," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told NDTV in an exclusive interview, projecting confidence in his ability to secure a third straight term for his party, BJP, in the Lok Sabha elections.

Four rounds are over in the marathon six-week general election, the second biggest since the general election of 1951-52. Three more rounds remain. The votes will be counted on June 4.  

"Itna bada desh. Aap jisko (vote) dene jaa rahe ho, jaante ho kya, uska naam pata hai kya, uska anubhav pata hai kya. Toh ye desh ki janta dekhti hai. Koi party apne naam bataaye ya na bataaye woh tolti hai (It is such a big country. Do you know whom you want to give your vote to? Their name, their experience? The nation sees everything. Whether the party names the person or not, the voters assess them)," PM Modi said in an interview with NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia.  

"Aur hamara palda bahut bhari hai usme mujhe kuch kehne ki jaroorat nahi hai. Hamara palda bhaari hai, har koi jaanta hai (The scales are heavily tilted in our favour. I don't have to say anything about that. We have the upper hand. And everyone knows it)," the Prime Minister, 73, told the channel.

The Congress, attenuated by poll losses and a string of defections, is part of the Opposition bloc INDIA taking on the BJP.

The Prime Minister, who has tasked his ministers to come up with an action plan for the first 100 days of his new government, told NDTV the route to success - stressing on scope, scale, speed and skill.

"The scope should be very big, it shouldn't be in parts, and the second thing is scale, which should also be large. The speed should be in sync with these two. So, scope, scale and speed, and then there should be skill. If we can get these four things together, I believe, we achieve a lot," said the Prime Minister, who is contesting from Varanasi.

The BJP swept the politically prized state of Uttar Pradesh, which sends most number of MPs (80) to Lok Sabha, in 2014 and 2019, winning 71 and 62 seats, respectively.

Congress, the principal opposition party, is contesting 17 seats in the state. It is in alliance with Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi party, which is contesting on 63 seats.

Rahul Gandhi, 53, is contesting from the family stronghold of Raebareli, a seat represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi five times. Akhilesh Yadav, too, took the poll plunge and is contesting from Kannauj.

Tune in tomorrow at 8 pm to watch the interview, which will be aired across the NDTV network.

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Rs 40 Crore "Unaccounted" Cash Found In Raids On Agra Shoe Trader

The Income Tax department on Saturday recovered about Rs 40 crore "unaccounted" cash during raids against some Agra-based shoe businesses, official sources said.

The cash is still being counted and the figure may go up, the sources said.

They said a shoe trader in Uttar Pradesh's Agra and his linked entities were raided in the afternoon and cash to the tune of Rs 40 crore has been recovered till now.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Gujarat School Principal Thrashed For Doing Survey Of Madrasa, 2 Arrested

The principal of a government school was thrashed by a group of people when he went to survey a madrasa in Ahmedabad on Saturday, police said.

The police have arrested two men after a case was registered against five to seven persons for unlawful assembly, rioting and voluntarily causing hurt, robbery and criminal intimidation, a police official said.

Sandeep Patel, principal of Shruti Higher Secondary School, went to the madrasa in the Dariyapur locality of the city to collect details, including the number of students there and about its infrastructure, as part of a government exercise, the official said.

Finding the premises closed, he began taking photos of it from outside. Just then, a group of people approached him and demanded to know what he was doing.

Despite explaining to the group that he was a school principal and taking the pictures as per a government order, they thrashed him and snatched away his mobile phone and documents.

The group also threatened to kill him, Mr Patel said in his complaint, adding that he somehow escaped from the spot. "We have arrested two persons in this connection. Further investigation is underway," the Dariyapur police station official said.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) education committee officer Labdhir Desai said several such premises were surveyed as per the government order.

"We conducted a survey on 175 madrasas and each team consisted of two members. We received support during the exercise," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Rush Him To Hospital: Mamata Banerjee Stops Speech As Man Faints At Rally

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered immediate arrangement of medical treatment for a person who fell ill during her speech at an election rally in Bankura district on a hot Saturday afternoon.

While addressing the gathering, the TMC chief found someone collapsing to the ground in front rows and fainting.

She stopped her speech midway and told party workers: "Sprinkle water on his face, make an ambulance ready to rush him to a nearby hospital." Ms Banerjee waited patiently while he was being attended to.

As the ailing person regained composure and was back on his feet, she directed that he be taken to his residence in an ambulance.

"Such oppressive heat, it is obvious someone could fall sick in such hot and humid conditions. Please ensure he is checked by a doctor," Ms Banerjee asked health department officials and trauma care personnel present there.

Ms Banerjee then resumed her speech.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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At 43.2 Degrees, Himachal's Una Records Hottest Day Of The Season So Far

With the temperature soaring in the lower and mid hills of Himachal, Una experienced the hottest day of the season as the mercury touched 43.2 degrees Celsius on Friday, the MeT office said.

Neri in Hamirpur recorded 43.1 degrees, and Dhaulakuan and Bilaspur recorded a high of 41.7 degrees. Key summer tourist destinations of Shimla, Dharamsala and Manali were warmer, with day temperatures rising to 29.4 degrees, 34.9 degrees and 27.5 degrees, 4.4 degrees, 3.7 degrees and 2.5 degrees above normal.

Rising temperatures in Una and Hamirpur districts where Lok Sabha and four assembly by-elections for Gagret, Kutlehar, Barsar and Sujanpur assembly seats, are scheduled for June 1, the political parties and candidates are facing problems in campaigning as people are avoiding coming out during the day under the scorching sun.

The temperatures will gradually rise in the lower areas and Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Solan, Sirmaur, parts of Kangra and Mandi could witness heat waves in the coming days, Director, Shimla MeT Office Surender Paul told the PTI.

While thunderstorms could not be ruled out at higher reaches, the weather would remain mainly dry in low hills. However, there is a possibility of rain and snow at isolated places in higher reaches in the next four days till May 21, he said.

The weather remained dry throughout the state in the past 24 hours. Kukumseri in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district recorded a night temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Bus Carrying Uttarakhand Pilgrims Catches Fire In Madhya Pradesh, None Hurt

Pilgrims travelling to Uttarakhand for 'Char Dham Yatra' in a private bus from Maharashtra's Buldhana town had a providential escape when their vehicle suddenly caught fire on Friday here in Madhya Pradesh and was completely gutted, officials said.

No one was injured in the incident which took place in the afternoon as passengers quickly came out of the bus, which was totally gutted, a police official said.

A total of 30 passengers, including eight children, were on-board the ill-fated bus when it caught fire near Kolaras town in Shivpuri district, Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Vijay Yadav said.

As soon as the travellers noticed smoke emanating in the bus, they immediately came out, a woman passenger said.

Later, the bus was engulfed in flames which were doused by a fire tender, Yadav said, adding it appears the blaze was caused by an electrical short-circuit.

The luggage of the passengers bound for Uttarakhand was damaged in the fire, the official added.

A total of 60 passengers in two private buses had left from Buldhana town on May 15 for the popular pilgrimage to four sacred Hindu sites located in the Himalayas, he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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