STORMY MAT LEAVES DELHI WITH 507% EXCESS RAINFALL

New Delhi

Delhi in rain

Temperature soared on saturday afternoon amid cloudy skies but thunderstorm along with gusty winds in some parts brought a relief as the mercury dropped sharply towards the evening. However, only trace amount of rainfall was recorded in some areas, bring an end to a month that was the third wettest May for Delhi since 1901, according to the weather department.

Forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) suggest similar weather condition to continue for the next few days. However, gusty winds that started late afternoon and continued till evening brought the gross temperature down. According to IMD data, Safdarjung, recorded a maximum wind speed of 40kmph at 4.30pm, and saw a fall in temperature by 6 degree celcius between 3.30 and 5.00pm. other stations recorded steeper drops at pritampura, the maximum fell by 8.3 degree celcius between 3.15 and 5.00pm, Delhi university saw a drop of of 8.4 degree celcius, Ayanagar 8.1 degree celcius and Najafgarh witnessed a 7.8 degree drop. While parts of the city recorded wind of speed 37-63kmph, no major rain was recorded in the city. The DU station recorded 0.5mm of rain between 2.30pm and 5.30pm, with only trace amount of rain recorded at a few more stations.Lat month was the third wettest May since 1901 Safdarjung received a total of 186.4mm rain this month, as compared to the normal of 30.7mm, recording an excess of 155.7mm rain, according to IMD data.

"Similar weather conditions are expected to continue at least till Wednesday. Partly cloudy skies will continue to persist. There is a possibility of very light rain, along with thunderstorm, lightnings and gusty winds of speed 40-50kmph, or even reaching 60kmph," said an IMD official. However, no weather alerts have been issued for the next few days.

The maximum is expected to be around 37-39 degree celcius on sunday and then go down further. The minimum is expected to be around 25-27 degree celcius on Sunday. Despite windy conditions, th e air quality deteriorated significantly, falling into the "poor" category. The 24 hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 241 at 4pm, according to the central Pollution Control Board's daily bulletin. It was 167 (moderate) at the same time on Friday.

Forecast by the Centre's Early warning System. However, show the air quality is likely to improve and return to the "moderate" category from Sunday." The air quality is likely to be moderate category from Sunday to Tuesday." The outlook for subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the moderate to poor category. said the EWS on Saturday. 

HOW CITIES ARE KEEPING COOL?

Sydney pop-up cooling hub 

 In Seville,Spain: A shade policy,and names and categories for heatwaves

Seville is installing large awnings across streets, public playgrounds, hospital entrances,taxi stops and school grounds,with the understanding that access to shade can save lives even in pre-heatwave conditions.

The city is also planting thousands of trees as part of this effort. "We call it a policy of shade,"Antonio Mufioz said in 2022-23 during his time as the city's mayor.Meanwhile, in 2022, Seville also became the first city in the world to name and categorize heatwaves. That year, Zoe, a category 3 heat event, triggered a targeted public-health response that included free access to city pools and water parks for certain age groups.

In another long-term measure, the city is considering reviving an ancient persian technique that used underground canals to carry water across parts of the city, to cool it. In the pilot phase, there are also plans to pump this water up through shafts, to cool buildings.

In Paris:'Cool islands' and a heat zones app

Summers in Paris were so pleasant, most homes had no air-conditioning. That changed in 2003, when a deadly heatwave claimed more than 14,800 lives across France in a single two-week period(many were elderly and many died alone).

Determined that this should not happen again, the french government printed leaf-lets and posters to underline the idea that this was heat as French people did not know it. Detailed heat actions plan were framed, under which every government official has, and is accountable for,specific outreach and mitigation action.

By 2018, the municipality of Paris had begun setting up a network of "cool islands" consisting of shaded parks, pools, water fountains and misting areas.

The cool islands are mapped on the government-run Extrema heat Map app, which also alerts users during a heatwave.

In Sydney: Mobile cooling hubs

Designed by the homelessness and Heat Emergency Activation Team (HHEATeam), Sydney's mobile cooling hubs track alerts on the HeatWatch app (Developed by university of sydney). On days of extreme heat, they then make their way to areas where vulnerable communities such as the homeless are concentrated. There, they pitch tent and offer access to free oral-hydration stations, misting fans, shaded rest areas, doctors and nurses, and food.

In Ahmedabad: Heat insurance for daily-wage labourers

A quiet revolution began here, in 2023. It has since spread to 22 districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Here's how it works.The trade union Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) offers "heatwave insurance" to members of the union. To sign up, they must contribute Rs. 250 a year. IN exchange, whenever temperature exceed 40 degree celsius in their region, each women receives Rs 400 in direct cash assistance, without a claim needing to be raised.

The programme is currently open to women from a range of occupations; farmers, construction workers, waste recyclers, head-loaders, sreet vendors, salt-pan workers, ship-breakers, and home-based workers. Between 2023 and 2024, the scheme accumulated 50,000 subscribers; total payout ammounted to Rs. 2.92 Crores.

The pilot project has been developed in association with the Adrienne Arsht-Rockfeller Foundation Resilience Center, the NGO climate resilience for All and the insurance providers Blue Marble and ICICI Lombard, who are also providing financial backing.      

WAS IT WAR OR CONFLICT?

Kargil war 1999

A Battle of semantics
Were we in a war with pakistan? Depends on who you ask.

The government's preferred term for the military exchanges with neighbor Pakistan that started May 7th is "Limited conflict"

This choice of semantics has its advantages. Academician and editor, INDIA'S WORLD, a foreign affairs magazine, Hapymon Jacob points out that when you call a conflict a war it becomes a legal phraseology.International bodies get involved which has all kinds of bilateral and legal implications.

Neither the army, nor the navy, nor the indian air force, crossed the international border or The Line of Control. The modern weaponry used meant that India hit targets deep inside pakistan, such as bhawalpur in pakistan's punjab province, without ships pr planes crossing over or using troops on the ground.

Second, unlike a traditional war, there isn't any territory at stake. India's clear objective was to disable terror infrastructure that enables attacks like Pahalgam. There wasn't a defend area conflict unlike in the 1999 Kargil war which India had to recapture or dismantle. Operational manoeuvres were characterised as proportional responses to previous attacks. During the Kargil war, the Pervez Musharraf-led pakistan army sent in troops across the Line of Control to take over strategic high-altitude positions in Kashmir. This led to a conflict that lasted two months and ended only on July 26 of that yaarvwhen the army regained control of key positions such as Tiger Hill.

If we go through the news reports at the time, the terms used to describe Kargil in May 1999 were "conflict" or "crisis". As the details emerged, India also referred to it as Operation Vijay. But as the conflict extended, as the troops moved in and the casualties started climbing, the term "War" became avoidable.

"No two wars are the same so comparisons are unfair,every war has its own intensity and Dynamic," says retired Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain. The 2025 exchanges between India and Pakistan were indeed a "Limited conflict", he says, since the definition of war and conflict is on a spectrum.This time, given the advanced munitions deployed and extended range of their deployment,there were greater chance of more civilians being caught in the line if Fire.

    Thankfully,the debate now will be on the semantics of ceasefire.