NEW DELHI: Approximately 50 km north of the city centre lies Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, a school surrounded by trees and agricultural fields.
Recently, this location has become noteworthy not just for its academic activities, but for recording some of the highest temperatures in Delhi. On Monday, the temperature here soared to a blistering 48.8°C, surpassing the previous day’s 48.3°C. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Mungeshpur, northwest Delhi, doubles as an automatic weather station (AWS). This AWS has consistently logged the highest maximum temperatures in the city over the past few days. “It’s excessively hot, almost as if it is raining fire,” commented a school official. This contrasts sharply with the past couple of years, where even at the peak of summer, the area did not experience such severe heatwaves and occasionally benefited from rainfall.
Interestingly, both the AWS at Narela and Mungeshpur are located away from concrete structures, industrial belts, and tarred roads, yet they record the highest temperatures in the city. As one moves from the AWS towards more urban areas with markets, industrial zones, and traffic-congested roads, temperatures climb even higher. The base weather station at Safdarjung has recorded temperatures nearing 45°C. However, outer regions like Mungeshpur, Narela, and Najafgarh are facing more severe heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding 48°C.
Weather experts attribute this extreme heat to the early arrival of hot winds from Rajasthan. “Areas like Mungeshpur, Narela, and Najafgarh are the first to bear the brunt of the hot summer westerly or north-westerly winds blowing in from Rajasthan or Haryana,” explained a senior weather scientist from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). These areas are thus on the frontline of these scorching winds. Additional factors exacerbating the heat include large open areas, barren land, and industrial activities. “The larger land use in these locations plays a significant role. Despite some plantation, there are patches of barren land, such as open ploughed fields, that increase the land surface temperature,” noted an official from the Centre for Science and Environment. Industrial areas contribute to this effect through heat emissions, similar to standing behind an air conditioner. Concrete structures further radiate heat, compounding the problem.
The combination of these elements transforms regions like Narela and Mungeshpur into some of the hottest spots in Delhi. The severe heatwave conditions highlight the need for strategic urban planning and effective heat mitigation measures to protect residents and manage the extreme temperatures in these vulnerable areas.