The heatwave in Delhi is shattering all past records as the temperature breached the 50-degree Celsius mark on Wednesday. The high temperatures have also clocked record number of fire-related incidents that have been reported to the city's fire department in a single day.
According to Delhi Fire Department Director, Atul Garg, the fire department received 220 calls about blaze-related incidents in a single day due to extreme heat, reported news agency ANI. This is the highest number of calls so far, except on the day of Diwali, he added.
The development comes as the Mungeshpur observatory in Delhi recorded 52.9 degrees Celsius leaving the country baffled. The India Meteorological Department said it will examine the automatic weather station in the locality for possible errors in its sensors.
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However, large parts of northern and central India remained in the grip of a sweltering heat wave on Wednesday. Parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, and Rajasthan baked at maximum temperatures in excess of 47 degrees Celsius with Rohtak and Prayagraj logging 48.8 degrees, the highest temperatures recorded in the country on Wednesday, said the weather department.
Both Prayagraj and Rohtak broke records for the highest maximum temperature ever recorded for the month, as per the IMD.
Regarding the 52.9 degrees Celsius recorded at Mungeshpur, MD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said, "It looks abnormal and it is an outlier when compared with other weather stations in the national capital region."
Union minister Kiren Rijiju also directed the weather department to verify the numbers for possible errors and said that the recorded temperature was not official.
"It is not official yet. Temperature of 52.3°C in Delhi is very unlikely. Our senior officials in IMD have been asked to verify the news report. The official position will be stated soon," Rijiju said in a social media post on X.