Climate change has led to shift in the rainfall pattern resulting in a rise in Delhi’s relative humidity, increasing discomfort even though there has been no significant change in the city’s ambient temperatures since 2011, according to a new analysis.
The analysis by the independent think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) underscores that the rise in heat index, due to the increase in Delhi’s relative humidity, is driving the power demand in the city.
The heat index, also known as the ‘apparent temperature’ or ‘feels-like temperature’, is a measure of how hot it feels to the human body when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature.
