New Delhi: A day after Delhi’s Najagarh baked at over 47°C to trend as the hottest place in the country, the Met department on Friday held out no immediate respite from the searing and scalding heatwave as it issued a fresh heatwave warning for the northern plains till May 21, Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast a heatwave and a severe heatwave condition across vast swathes of North India, including several parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, between May 17 and 21.
The premier weather forecasting agency said heatwave conditions were likely to prevail in parts of Uttar Pradesh from May 17-21; in isolated pockets of Gujarat between May 17 and 21; Bihar from May 17-20; Jharkhand between May 19 and 20; north Madhya Pradesh from May 18-21; Gangetic West Bengal between May 18 and 20; and Odisha on May 20 and 21.
While a red alert for severe heatwave was issued for west Rajasthan, an Orange alert was also out for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, East Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. A yellow alert for a heatwave-like condition was issued as well for Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha.
An area is considered to be in the grip of a heatwave if the maximum temperature at a weather station reaches at least 40°C and at least 30°C or more for hilly regions.
The national capital accounted for some of the highest daytime temperatures in the country on Friday, with Najafgarh in southwest Delhi sweating at 47.4°C.
Himachal’s Una also recorded the season’s highest temperature for the state, at 43.2°C while Agra logged the second-highest maximum temperature ever recorded in the city at 46.9°C. Chandigarh, too, continued to reel under sweltering hot weather, recording a maximum temperature of 44.5°C. It was the third-highest maximum temperature ever recorded in the city, which doubles up as the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.
Rajasthan’s Barmer recorded a maximum temperature of 46.5°C on Friday, while Delhi’s Ayanagar logged 46.2°c. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh recorded 44.9°C while Gujarat’s Surendranagar and Punjab’s Patiala logged 44.7°C and 44.4°C respectively.
Amid the unrelenting heatwave, special arrangements were made for animals housed at the Nahargarh Biological Park of Jaipur to cool off.
“With the increasing temperatures, we have made certain special arrangements for animals at the Nahargarh Biological Park. Lions, panthers, tigers, and bears are being bathed regularly in their enclosures. The display area of their enclosures has rain guns, sprinklers, and a dripping system installed so that the temperature doesn’t go beyond tolerable limits,” Dr Arvind Mathur, senior wildlife veterinary officer at Nahargarh Biological and Zoological Park, told ANI.
Expanding on the summer diet of the animals at Nahargarh Biological Park, Mathur said, “The diets of some the animals have also been changed on medical advice, with sloth bears being additionally given barley-based drinks and fruit ice cream. Herbivores like deer are being fed with watermelons and cucumbers. All animals are being administered electro and glucose by rotation to boost their fluid intake. They are also being dewormed and monitored 24/7 while also being administered with nutrition supplements.”
Similarly, sprinklers and coolers have been installed for animals in the Kanpur Zoo to bring them a semblance of respite from the prevailing heatwave.
“The animals here are reeling under the prevailing severe heatwave. We have made requisite arrangements to protect them from the adverse effects of the prevailing weather. We have installed coolers and sprinklers for the animals, ensuring that the temperatures in their respective enclosures don’t breach limits of tolerance. We also rung in changes to their diet. We are keeping a close watch on every single animal at the zoo,” Dr Anurag Singh, the chief medical officer of Kanpur Zoo told ANI.
Similar cooling arrangements have also been made for the wildlife at Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur Zoological Park, amid the disconcerting heat.
“Our guests as well as visitors are feeling the effects of the prevailing heatwave. The animals are being subjected to regular medical checkups by our team of veterinarians while they are also being fed with watermelons to beat the heat. Water sprinklers have also been installed in their enclosures to help them cool off. They are also being administered with glucose from time to time,” We also provide them glucose regularly…,” Mahesh Abrol, the range officer of the Udhampur Wildlife Department, said.
(With inputs from ANI)
