Several districts in the state of Rajasthan shiver with the intensifying cold waves. While temperatures in the high altitude Mt Abu dipped to -2.5°C, the city of Churu, popularly known as the gateway to the Thar Desert remained frozen in the night recording a -0.3°C. Besides them, Sikar recorded an average temperature of 1°C on Thursday.
The freezing desert state
According to the officials of the Rajasthan Meteorological Department, headquartered at Jaipur, nine districts of the state will be in the grip of a cold wave till Sunday, including Shri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Churu, Alwar, Bharatpur, Sikar and Jhunjhunu. Several state districts registered frigid weathers and cold chills, with temperatures falling under five degrees celsius. Pilani recorded 1.5°C, Bhilwara 2.1°C and Vanasthali 2.7°C.
The officials have suggested people avoid prolonged stay out in the cold. “Cover your head, neck, hands and feet in order not to lose body heat. Avoid or limit external activities. In the case of hypothermia, contact the doctor immediately.” The authorities also added that arrangements to protect pets and livestock from the freezing cold temperatures must be also be made.
Rajasthan’s AQI today
The quality of air in Rajasthan has averaged at a ‘moderate’ 89 AQI, with districts like Udaipur and Jaipur recording worse AQI than the regional mean measure. AQI in capital Jaipur clocked at 127, as per readings generated at 2 PM in the day. Falling in the range that has been marked unhealthy for sensitive groups, the Pink City’s deteriorating air quality stands only second to Udaipur’s, which recorded 141 AQI during the same period. Apart from them, Alwar with 116 AQI and Pali with 101 AQI also reported a decline in the constitution of breathing air.
