India's weather department has issued a severe heatwave warning as temperatures soar, throwing millions of lives and livelihoods out of gear.
"Temperatures are rising rapidly in the country, and rising much earlier than usual," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told state chief ministers on Wednesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by 2-4C over most parts of north-western and central India this week, with "no large change thereafter".
While heatwaves are common in India, especially in May and June, summer began early this year with high temperatures from March itself - average maximum temperatures in the month were the highest in 122 years. Heatwaves also began setting in during the month.
India is facing the worst electricity shortage in more than six years as Delhi saw its hottest April in 12 years on Thursday at a maximum of 43.5C.
The temperatures in the national capital are predicted to linger around 44C with peak summer heat still to come before the cool monsoon rains in June.
The extreme heat parching across large swathes of south Asia this week has also prompted health officials in the western state of Gujarat to take measures, as they braced for a potential spike in patients.
“We have issued an advisory to hospitals to set up special wards for heat stroke and other heat-related diseases due to the rise in temperatures,” Manoj Aggarwal, health secretary of Gujarat, told Reuters.
Meanwhile, the leap in power demand has left India scrambling for coal, with inventories running lowest pre-summer levels in at least nine years.
Several states including Rajasthan and Haryana in the north and Andhra Pradesh in the south observed the worst power cuts in over six years as the government struggled to manage surging power demands.
