‘Delhi is unlivable’: Residents complain of boiling tap water, failing ACs in heatwave

“It's so hot right now, just stepping outside for ten minutes feels unbearable. Tap water feels like it's boiling, and there's no relief from the heat. It's almost unlivable,” reads a post from a Delhi-based entrepreneur on the social media platform X. Puneet Siinghal’s post is one among thousands of such tweets that have appeared on X (formerly Twitter) over the last few days as the national capital scorches under one of its hottest summers on record.

The severe heatwave sweeping north India has killed at least five people this week in New Delhi, the Times of India reported. Since March, temperatures have soared to 50 degrees C (122 F) in Delhi and the nearby desert state of Rajasthan, Amid the high temperature, the national capital is also grappling with water shortage and rising power consumption - its power consumption touched an all-time high on Tuesday, when the minimum nighttime temperature reached 33.8 degrees Celsius, the highest for June in six years.

“Delhi is unlivable” has become a constant and concerning refrain on social media. Several social media users pointed out how Delhi’s scorching summers are coupled with freezing temperatures in winters, ever-present pollution and water drainage issues during the monsoon season.

Take a look at some social media reactions below:

Journalist Rituparna Chatterjee was among the dozens of social media users who spoke about the heatwave in Delhi. “I don't think people elsewhere fully grasp what's happening in NCR and just how hot it is. At 7am, the tap water is boiling hot. The sun hurts the eye. There's no night time anymore. For 24 hours the temperature feels above 40C. Which means during night the water is as hot,” she wrote on X.

In fact, tap water boiling is a complaint made by several other Delhi residents.

One person said the water temperature from taps in Delhi touched 75 degrees Celsius. “The day isn't far when you can cook Maggi without a stove,” he wrote.

Many also called it the hottest summer in living memory

In the prevailing heatwave, Delhi residents said their ACs were barely working. “Delhi- NCR folks do you feel any respite from the heat even with the AC on during the day?” asked one person on X.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to continue over many parts of North India during Wednesday and gradually abate thereafter due to an approaching western disturbance towards northwest India.

(With inputs from agencies)