NCR workers forge through heatwave furnace

"Kaam toh kaam hai" (work is work), said Shivakant Kumar, a factory worker in one of the tin-roofed plants in Faridabad, enduring the intense heat.

- HARSH KUMAR

The heat from the machines was hitting his face, yet he persisted in making plastic decorative items.

"Due to the excessive heat, our production has fallen by 10-15 per cent as work slows down between noon and 4pm. We're not putting too much pressure on the workers, as their safety is also important amid rising temperatures," said Veer Bhan Sharma, president of the Faridabad IMT Industries Association.

The capital has endured a six-day stretch of relentless heat, with a peak temperature of 45.6°C (degrees Celsius). This has led to May being identified as the hottest since 2013 by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Moreover, an examination of minimum temperatures suggests that nights this month have been the warmest since 2016. In the National Capital Region (NCR), Faridabad registered the highest maximum temperature, reaching 47.4°C, with Noida following closely at 47.3°C. Gurugram recorded a temperature of 46.9°C, while Ghaziabad experienced a maximum of 44.7°C.