Delhi ‘unbearable’ as temperatures near 50C
Parts of northern and central India are sweltering under a severe heatwave, with a provisional record temperature of 52.3C (126.1F) registered in Delhi.
If verified, it would be the highest ever recorded in India.
More than 37 cities in the country recorded temperatures over 45C this week.
Warnings of heat-related illnesses have been issued, with at least three deaths reported so far.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s Soma Sen Roy told the BBC that a team had been sent to the Mungeshpur area in Delhi – where the 52.3C temperature was recorded – to verify it.
The IMD described the recording as an “outlier compared to other stations”, which had recorded temperatures ranging from 45.2C to 49.1C in different parts of Delhi.
The city’s authorities have warned they will issue fines to those caught wasting water as the city deals with shortages and supplies have been cut to some areas.
Water minister Atishi announced that 200 teams would be deployed to crack down on people washing their cars with hosepipes and letting their tanks overflow.
“It’s been excruciatingly hot over the past couple of days and it’s got significantly worse as the day’s progress,” said BBC Business Correspondent Arunoday Mukharji, who is in Delhi.
A resident told news agency ANI earlier in the week that it was difficult to even eat properly because of the heat.
“We have faced heat earlier as well, but this time it feels unbearable,” they said.
“It’s difficult to even stand outside.”
The city’s power demand has soared to an all-time high, with residents turning to air conditioning, coolers and ceiling fans to cope with the heat.
A consumer court stopped hearing cases on Tuesday after the judge said it was too hot to work without air conditioning.