Temperatures in Delhi hit a record high of 52.9°C (127.22°F) and officials warned of water shortages in the Indian capital.
Heatwave warnings have been in effect across much of India since last week, but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday that temperatures in the outskirts of Mungeshpur exceeded 50 degrees Celsius for the first time in the city.
The India Meteorological Department said temperatures were more than nine degrees higher than expected, marking a second day of record-breaking heatwaves. Mungeshpur and Narela recorded a maximum temperature of 49.9 degrees on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 49.2 degrees set in 2002.
The IMD warned of the impact of heat on health, especially for children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases. “Heatstroke and heat stroke are very likely to occur in all age groups,” the alert said, warning that “vulnerable people should take extreme caution.”
Extremely hot summer days are not uncommon in India, and scientific studies over the years have shown that the climate crisis is making heatwaves longer, more frequent and more intense.
City officials have warned that the capital is at risk of water shortages as it faces scorching heat, and Water Minister Atishi Marlena called for “collective responsibility” to stop water wastage, The Times of India reported on Wednesday.
“Various measures have been taken to address the water scarcity issue, including reducing water supply in many areas from twice a day to once a day,” Atishi was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
“The water thus saved will be rationed and provided to water-scarce areas that have access to only 15-20 minutes of water a day,” she added.
The heatwave has been building relentlessly for weeks, but residents were still shocked by the conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday, with people saying their fingers burned when they touched car steering wheels and tap water coming out at boiling temperature.
“Showering is almost a waste of time,” says chemistry teacher Aruna Verma. “As soon as you come out of the shower, you’re drenched in sweat again.”
Newspapers have published lists of dos and don’ts based on medical advice, urging people to stay indoors and wear light, loose-fitting cotton clothing — advice that is impossible to follow for many of the city’s workers, including labourers and market vendors.
Construction workers largely stop work between noon and 4 p.m. “The metal rods they are working on are too hot to touch. Even when they resume work at 5 p.m., the rods are on fire and the heat from sparks makes the situation worse,” said Babu Ram, a welder who lives in an apartment in New Friends Colony, south of the city center.
Vegetable seller Sameer Prakash usually stands next to his cart until around 2 p.m., waiting for customers to emerge from their air-conditioned homes.
He alternates between pouring water on vegetables to keep them from wilting and pouring water on his own head to avoid heatstroke.
“I have no choice. If I don’t bring money home, who will feed my children? A job is a job. It just has to be done,” he said. “The sun kills the vegetables, so I buy less than usual at the wholesale market because if I don’t sell them, they will rot.”
Conditions are also tough for politicians and audiences staging rallies in the sweltering heat as part of the general election, with political parties urging rally-goers to bring wet towels, extra water to re-wet dry towels and packets of oral rehydration salts.
Many people are blaming the rise in temperatures on fierce winds from Rajasthan, where temperatures hit 50.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday as well.
The morgue at SMS Hospital in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state, is over capacity as bodies of people with heatstroke injuries are being brought in. Police in the city say many of the victims are poor labourers and homeless people who have no choice but to work outdoors.
The desert town of Phalodi in Rajasthan holds the record for the hottest temperature in Indian history, hitting 51°C in 2016.
Indians who can afford to escape the scorching heat of the cities have fled to the cooler mountains, but even the Alpine-like region of Kashmir, known as the “Switzerland of the East”, is experiencing an unprecedented heatwave.
At the same time, West Bengal and the northeastern state of Mizoram were battered by strong winds and heavy rains from Cyclone Remal, which slammed into India and Bangladesh on Sunday, killing more than 38 people.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the cyclone was “one of the longest in the country’s history” and was caused by worsening weather conditions.
