Delhi sizzles at 42.8 deg C, logs hottest day of year so far
New Delhi (PTI): The national capital sweltered on Saturday, recording its highest maximum temperature of the year so far. Several weather stations reported heatwave conditions across the city, even as the IMD has forecast rain from Monday to Wednesday, bringing some hope of respite to Delhiites.
While a yellow alert had been issued for Saturday, a similar alert remains in place for Sunday as well, warning people of isolated heatwave conditions.
On Saturday, Safdarjung, representative of the city's weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 42.8 degrees Celsius, 5.1 degrees above normal and a 0.9-degree rise from the day before, thus fulfilling the criteria for a heatwave.
According to the India Meteorological Department, a heatwave is classified when the maximum temperature is 40 degrees Celsius or above, and it is 4.5 degrees to 6.4 degrees above normal.
This was also the highest maximum recorded in Delhi in the last four years since 2022, when the maximum had reached 43.5 degrees Celsius on April 28, 2022.
Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees above normal and a mere 0.7-degree rise from the day before.
Other weather stations also recorded isolated heatwave conditions. Lodhi Road recorded a maximum temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius, 5.6 degrees above the normal; Ridge recorded a minimum of 44.5 degrees, 6.1 degrees above the normal; and Ayanagar logged a minimum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius, 4.8 degrees above the normal.
While the IMD had initially classified Friday as the season's first isolated heat wave, the MeT department later clarified on Saturday that it had been the third consecutive day of a heatwave.
IMD classifies a heatwave when at least two stations have met the required criteria. An IMD official clarified that while Delhi had fulfilled the heatwave condition only in one station on Thursday, the two-step criteria are actually for the entire subdivision of Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi.
"On Thursday, one station, Rohtak to be specific, of Haryana and Ridge of Delhi, had satisfied heatwave criteria, thus making it the first day. Saturday was the third consecutive day of heat waves," an IMD official said.
Meanwhile, the weather department has issued a yellow alert for Sunday as well. The official added, "These conditions are likely to continue till Sunday.
Under the influence of the setting in of lower tropospheric level easterly winds, the maximum temperature might drop on Tuesday, as forecasts suggest very light rain possible from Monday.
According to forecasts by the MeT department, a spell of very light rain, along with thunderstorms and gusty winds, might bring some respite from Monday to at least Wednesday. The maximum temperature is forecast to fall to 38-40 degrees Celsius by the end of next week.
The minimum temperature is likely to be around 25-27 degrees Celsius for the next couple of days.
The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of Delhi stood at 243 (poor) at 4 pm, compared to an AQI of 226 (poor) recorded at the same time on Friday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.
The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi has forecast the AQI to remain in the poor category over the weekend and then improve to the moderate category in the subsequent days.
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BRS takes swipe at Kavitha's TRS, says 'Original is always original'
Hyderabad (PTI): Taking a swipe at K Kavitha over naming her new political party as TRS, the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS on Saturday asserted that "original is always original".
BRS shared photos of a toothpaste, a water bottle brand and their fakes on X to highlight the difference between them.
However, the post did not directly name Kavitha or her party.
Kavitha, daughter of Chandrasekhar Rao, on Saturday launched a political outfit, named Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS).
In her address, Kavitha strongly attacked the ruling Congress, BJP and BRS, describing her father as a "changed man" who has become "soulless".
The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) was originally named Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). However, it was renamed as BRS in 2022 following KCR's ambitious plan to expand the party nationwide.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy took exception to Kavitha's comments dubbing CM Revanth Reddy as "Hitler and heartless".
He pointed out that funds are sanctioned under CM Relief Fund on a large scale to take care of health needs of citizens, among other measures, while Integrated Residential Schools are being built across the state by the Revanth Reddy government to provide free and quality education.
In response to Kavitha's comments that she would like to emerge as a mother-like figure (for 3.50 crore population of Telangana), he questioned her alleged silence during the "misrule" of BRS.
He also referred to Kavitha's criticism against the previous BRS regime.
"But, you remained silent (when BRS was in power) for 10 years. Why you did not raise your voice then? Did you not remember people and people's issues then?" Kiran Kumar Reddy asked.
Telangana BJP's chief spokesperson N V Subhash also raised concerns over the "sudden resurrection" of a similarly named party, questioning its intent and credibility.
The original Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), founded to capitalise on regional sentiment during the statehood movement, was later rebranded as Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) when KCR sought to expand his political footprint nationally, he said in a statement.
Kavitha’s expulsion from the party and her subsequent political moves could be perceived as part of a pre-scripted narrative, Subhash alleged.
“Projecting a split and then attempting to reclaim the legacy of TRS under a different banner is both illogical and misleading. It is an attempt to confuse the electorate rather than offer a genuine alternative,” Subhash said.
