Representational Image | Image: Hindustan Times

Delhi saw very high heat on Saturday as temperatures went up across the city. The main weather station at Safdarjung recorded 42.8°C, which is about 5 degrees higher than normal. Most key weather centres reported heatwave conditions as per rules set by the India Meteorological Department.

Different parts of Delhi faced strong heat:

• Ridge area reached 44.5°C
• Ayanagar recorded 43.2°C
• Lodhi Road saw 42.6°C
• Palam reported 42.5°C

These numbers are much higher than normal and show how strong the heatwave is. The Safdarjung reading is also close to the high of 43.5°C seen in April 2022.

What is a heatwave?
As per IMD rules:

• Temperature must be 40°C or more and at least 4.5°C above normal, or
• It reaches 45°C at any place

For a city heatwave, at least two stations, along with Safdarjung, must meet this rule. That level was reached on Saturday.

The heat stayed strong at night too. Minimum temperatures were higher than usual:

• Safdarjung: 25.2°C
• Palam: 26.8°C

With no rain, the heat kept building, making both day and night hard for people.

Experts say the main reasons are dry winds from the northwest and strong sunlight. These are common in early summer in north India.

When will relief come?
Some relief may come soon, but not right away. IMD has given a yellow alert for Sunday, which means heatwave may continue for one more day. A change may start from April 27:

• Winds from the east may bring some moisture
• Clouds and storms may form
• Temperature may drop by 2–4°C

Light rain, strong winds (up to 50 kmph), and storms are likely from April 27 to 29. This may help lower the heat.

Air quality also gets worse
With rising heat, pollution also went up. Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 243, which falls in the “poor” level, as per the Central Pollution Control Board. The air may stay in this range till Sunday, adding to the discomfort.

Police also found that the gang arranged fake bank accounts in India and linked them to people based in Cambodia through a man known as ‘PK’ in Mumbai. Further investigation is still going on.

Image Source: Twitter.

Four days after 26-year-old Tarun Kumar was beaten to death after a Holi dispute over a water balloon, civic officials carried out bulldozer action at the house of one of the accused in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar.

On Sunday morning, a crane reached JJ Colony and work began to break parts of a three-storey house linked to the accused. After that, workers with hammers broke more sections of the building.

A large number of police staff were present in the area during the action. Personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were also posted across the locality to keep the situation calm.

A senior police officer said the police are working with the civic agency during the removal of the illegal parts of the building. A statement from the civic body has not come yet.

Delhi Police have arrested six people and taken a minor into custody in the case. They also added charges under the SC/ST Act after claims that caste slurs were used during the attack.

The accused have been named as Umardeen, 49; Jummadeen, 36; Kamruddin, 36; Mustaque, 46; Muzzaffar, 25; and Tahir, 18. All live in A Block of JJ Colony.

Police said the incident took place on March 4. Tarun’s 11-year-old cousin was playing with a water balloon from the third floor of their home. The balloon slipped from her hand and fell to the street. Water from it fell on a woman living nearby. This led to an argument between the two families, who belong to different communities.

Police said the fight soon turned violent. Tarun was attacked outside his home with sticks, rods, bats and stone slabs. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Since the incident, tension has remained in the locality. After the attack, family members of the accused left their homes and locked the houses.

On Friday night, some vehicles parked outside the house of the accused were set on fire. Police are also looking into this case.