NEW DELHI: December is here and the famed ‘Dilli ki Sardi’ is not being felt by residents of the national capital. Experts say that the El Nino effect has raised global average temperatures and hence residents are not feeling the chill in the city.
Last year, the average maximum temperature in November in Delhi was 27 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 13.3 degrees Celsius.
This year, the average maximum temperature in November was 28.4 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 15.6 degrees Celsius.
“The average rise in temperatures is due to the El Nino effect. This has resulted in the delayed onset of seasons across the world. In our case, the onset of winter has been delayed because of it,” said Dr Ravi Nanjundiah of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.
El Nino is an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes with a global impact on weather patterns. It begins when warm water in the western tropical Pacific ocean shifts eastward along the equator towards the coast of South America. Normally, this warm water pools near Indonesia and the Philippines. During an El Nino, the Pacific’s warmest surface waters sit offshore of northwestern South America.
Nanjundiah also said that such evident effects of El Nino could be attributed to local factors as well. “
For instance, if you take the case of Delhi, the lack of green cover and the rise in concrete structures contribute to the unseasonal changes. It is a known fact that trees can release oxygen while concrete traps heat and increases the temperature. We have said time and again that afforestation is the best remedy for temperature escalation,” he said, and added that the pollutants in the capital also act as heat traps and lead to a rise in temperature in the capital.
The IMD had said that it will be only after December 5 and 6, when the National Capital will be record a significant fall in the temperature.