Delhi: Mungeshpur, Narela, Najafgarh residents struggle as mercury nears 50 degrees

PTI, May 29, 2024, 5:24 PM IST

Representative image (credit:PTI)

New Delhi: With temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius in Mungeshpur and Najafgarh here, residents living in these areas are taking various measures to beat the heat.

Amit Kumar, a resident of Najafgarh, shared his family’s struggles due to the heat and said they are trying to avoid stepping out as much as possible.

”My brother got sick due to the heat, and now we are taking extra precautions. We’re taking traditional remedies like aam panna (unripe mango juice) and using wet towels to stay cool and prevent fainting. The heat is so severe that we are giving the kids multiple baths during the day to stay cool,” Kumar said.

Jay Pandit, a resident of Mungeshpur who commutes 30 kilometres for work in Central Delhi, described the challenges of daily travel.

”The hot wind feels like burning the skin, and it’s affecting my health. How long can you sit inside? A day or two, maybe three, you can’t just stay inside. To live, to survive, you have to step out, but managing this heat is tough. I feel headaches and fever most days while coming back home,” Pandit said.

The national capital is reeling under an intense heatwave, with temperatures soaring close to 50 degrees Celsius in parts of Delhi.

Residents of Delhi are adopting various measures to combat the sweltering conditions, such as taking traditional remedies like aam panna and using wet towels to stay cool. Some are taking baths twice a day and trying to avoid stepping out.

On the outskirts of the city in Mungeshpur and Narela, the mercury touched as high as 49.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, nine notches above normal. The maximum temperature at Najafgarh was recorded at 49.8 degrees Celsius, while Pitampura and Pusa recorded 48.5 degrees.

The residents are also expressing their frustration on social media platform X.

Najmus Sayadat tweeted, ”Struggling hard to survive 49.9 degrees! Didn’t even imagine that I had to survive this.” Another user Sachin wrote, ”Delhi actually has the most horrible weather. This summer, air conditioners have to work hard; we just can’t afford to switch them off.”

Amit Singh, a contractor, said, ”We can’t work from 11 am to 5 pm because of the heatwave. Many labourers have left for their native places, and our business has been affected. We need to work in open areas, which is just not possible these days as the weather is unbearable.”

To protect themselves, people are taking ORS and keeping themselves hydrated as much as they can. Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Rajiv Vihar in Najafgarh, said the high temperatures and the hot, dry wind are making people in the area fall sick.

”I commute to Central Delhi on my bike every day. Despite taking all the precautions, I have developed a high fever and body ache due to heat stroke,” he added.

The Delhi government’s LNJP Hospital has been seeing a spike in the number of patients affected due to heatwave conditions.

”We have seen a high number of patients affected by the heat this week. Yesterday alone, we received nearly 10 patients who were affected by heat stroke,” said Dr Ritu Saxena from Lok Nayak Hospital.

Symptoms like fever, headache, vomiting and unconsciousness are common. She also advised that people should avoid stepping out, especially during peak hours, and keep themselves hydrated.

The city’s Safdarjung observatory — the official marker — recorded its highest temperature on Tuesday, five notches above the seasonal average, at 45.8 degrees Celsius. The capital is on ‘red alert’ on Wednesday.