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The ongoing heatwave intensified over Delhi on Friday, with the mercury settling near 46 degrees Celsius in many parts.
The Safdarjung observatory — Delhi’s base station — recorded a maximum temperature of 43.5 degrees Celsius for a second day on the trot.
It is the highest maximum temperature on a day in April in 12 years.
The national capital had recorded a maximum temperature of 43.7 degrees Celsius on April 18, 2010.
The all-time high temperature for the month is 45.6 degrees Celsius, which was recorded on April 29, 1941.
The mercury leaped to 46.4 degrees Celsius at Sports Complex. Ridge (45.7 degrees Celsius), Mungeshpur (45.9 degrees Celsius), Najafgarh (45.9 degrees Celsius) and Pitampura (45.9 degrees Celsius) recorded the maximum temperature five to seven notches above normal.
The IMD has issued an “orange” alert, warning people of a severe heatwave in many parts of Delhi on Saturday.
The Met department uses four colour codes for weather warnings — “green” (no action needed), “yellow” (watch and stay updated), “orange” (be prepared), and “red” (take action).
Amid the rising heat and growing power demand, the Delhi government on Thursday warned of a possible setback in providing uninterrupted electricity supply for critical services in the capital, including Metro trains and hospitals.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said his government is somehow handling the power supply situation in Delhi and called for quick, concrete steps to tackle the electricity crisis facing the country.
The Delhi government has said it will supply around 1,000 million gallons of drinking water every day during the summer season as against 935 MGD earlier to meet the rising demand.
The IMD said Delhi may also see a partly cloudy sky, light rain and a dust storm with winds gusting up to 50 kilometres per hour on Sunday, which may provide temporary respite.
The heatwave is expected to abate from Monday under the influence of a western disturbance, which is likely to affect northwest India from the night of May 1, it said.
