India was bracing yesterday for another bout of extreme heat after temperatures smashed records in some parts of the country, while weather officials warned against more frequent heatwaves.
Temperatures in parts of the western region breached 50 Celsius last week, causing a spike in cases of people suffering dehydration and heatstroke, and triggering widespread power cuts as surging demand overwhelmed supply grids.
Television channels in Gujarat showed residents struggling to cross a street as their shoes became stuck in what appeared to be the melting surface of a road.
May and June are typically India’s hottest months, when temperatures regularly exceed 40 Celsius in the run-up to the monsoon rains, but the severity of the heat this year has caught many off guard.
“There are usually thunderstorms this time of year, but these rains have not been occurring,” said B P Yadav, head of the national weather forecasting centre of the India Meteorological Department.
“Hot winds have been blowing in from Afghanistan and Pakistan, leading to these extreme temperatures.”
The mercury hit a record 51 degrees Celsius last week in Phalodi, a city in the desert state of Rajasthan, beating a previous national high of 50.6 degrees in 1956.
The heat should ease with the arrival of clouds and light showers this week, Yadav said, but his office forecast a return to elevated temperatures in late May or early June.
Possible reasons for the rising temperatures ranged from global warming to greater urbanisation, leading to taller buildings and increased pollution, Yadav added.
The heatwave has struck as India grapples with a major drought, worsening water shortages that have hit an estimated 330mn people.
“We are praying to the gods for an early monsoon so that people get some relief, as the heat has taken a toll on our bodies,” said Neeraj Kumar, a resident of the northern industrial city of Kanpur.
“We are not even able to do our daily chores properly.”
At least seven people have died and about 110 have taken ill due to the intense heatwave in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh, an official said .
Senior doctor R K Shrivastav said Ghansore block headquarters and six other villages in Seoni were badly affected by the heatwave.
He said that seven people died and about 110 people were suffering from diarrhoea over the past two days.
Other areas in the grip of the heatwave are Pachpedi, Pahari, Bhilawadi, Bineki, Banda and Agariakalam in Seoni, a statement from the health department said.
Tribals were suffering from diarrhoea due to the intense heat and some are yet to receive treatment, it said.