Delhi govt ramps up heat relief as surge grips city; LG, CM push city-wide action

New Delhi: Amid a fresh heatwave in the capital, lieutenant governor TS Sandhu and chief minister Rekha Gupta on Monday directed departments to intensify relief measures, including deploying mobile vans, expanding cooling centres and strengthening hydration facilities in high-footfall areas, markets and labour hubs.

The directions were issued at a Delhi Disaster Management Authority review meeting attended by ministers Ashish Sood and Parvesh Verma, where officials assessed implementation of the city’s heatwave action plan.

Mobile heat-relief units have so far served over 4.7 lakh people, distributing 1.9 lakh litres of drinking water, 2.4 lakh ORS packets, 67,593 gamchhas and 49,666 caps.

Sandhu emphasised a coordinated, citywide approach involving all agencies and called for long-term urban cooling measures to address the urban heat island effect.

CM Gupta directed officials to ensure continuous availability of water at all relief points. “No citizen should find water pots, coolers or containers empty at any point,” she said, stressing timely replenishment.

Major cooling centres have seen heavy footfall. The facility near GTB Hospital (Gate No 3) served 62,900 people and distributed nearly 48,000 litres of water, while the centre near Jama Masjid Metro station catered to 35,470 people with over 30,800 litres. Facilities at Shalimar Chowk and Kalkaji-Lotus Temple also reported high usage.

“As many as 500 bus stops host free water camps daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Water coolers have been installed at major ISBTs, where 10,000 ORS packets have been stocked,” officials said.

To address shortages, Delhi Jal Board has deployed 940 tankers, making over 6,300 trips daily to water-stressed areas.

Hospitals have been put on alert, with dedicated 10-bed heatwave wards. The labour department has issued advisories across all 13 districts and is inspecting construction sites for compliance. Fifteen DDA sports complexes now have water coolers and RO systems, while plans are on to install water ATMs in public parks.