Uttar Pradesh and a large part of northern India remained under the brunt of a severe heatwave on Thursday, with Banda district remaining the hottest region in the country for the fourth consecutive day.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the region recorded a maximum temperature of 48.2 degrees Celsius.
Read also | Rain forecast for Delhi in the near future? Western unrest is approaching, says IMD scientist
The hottest region in India records 48.2 degrees Celsius
Banda has continued to top the country’s temperature charts over the past few days, recording temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius for about a week.
“The main reasons include direct sunlight due to its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer, clear skies, plateau terrain with low soil moisture, drying up of rivers, deforestation and mining,” meteorologist Dr Dinesh told ANI.
A red alert for an extreme heatwave has been issued across the state for the next three days, followed by an orange alert for the period after that. A warning has also been issued for ‘warm nights’, Lucknow Met Office Director Manish R Ranalkar told HT earlier.
“Agni Pariksha” by Bandha
Banda residents were seen trying to cool off the intense heat by drinking water and eating sherbet from roadside stalls.
Local resident Puneet Saxena said deforestation and illegal mining have contributed to rising temperatures in the area. It was called “Agni Pariksha” by the people of the area.
“The weather is very hot in Banda now. It is a kind of ‘Agni Pariksha’ for the people of Banda. I think the reason for this rise in temperature is logging and illegal mining. Stone and sand mafia is working here,” he told ANI.
Syed Imran Ali, another resident, cited concerns about deforestation. “The heat conditions are so bad that the temperature is constantly rising. The biggest reason is illegal felling of trees to build roads. All the old huge trees that caused cooling due to their shade are no longer here,” he said.
Heat wave in Uttar Pradesh
The Meteorological Center in Lucknow said that hot and dry westerly winds over southern Uttar Pradesh, along with moisture-laden easterly winds entering the northern parts of the state due to the effect of the depression extending to Manipur, led to a rise in temperature and humidity levels.
For western Uttar Pradesh, the administration has predicted heatwave conditions in some areas during the day from May 21 to 25, while isolated places may witness warm night conditions between May 22 and 24.
In eastern Uttar Pradesh, several places are likely to witness heatwave to severe heatwave during the same period, along with warm night conditions in isolated places.
Dry conditions are expected to continue across the state, along with strong surface winds, the Meteorological Department said.
With input from agencies
