India on the boil with heat waves disrupting normal lives and raising health concerns

NEW DELHI -- A blistering heat wave is sweeping across northern India with temperatures soaring above the normal, disrupting daily life and raising health concerns.

The mercury shot up to 47.3 C (117 F) in Sri Ganganagar, a desert city in the northwestern state of Rajasthan on Monday , according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

The record for the country is 51 C (124 F), set in May 2016 in Rajasthan's city of Phalodi.

The searing heat is not just a seasonal discomfort but underscores a growing challenge for the country’s overwhelmed health infrastructure. A prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures often causes heat strokes, mainly impacting the poor, outdoor workers, children, and the elderly.

Last year, a monthslong heatwave across swathes of India killed more than 100 people and led to over 40,000 suspected cases of heat stroke, according to data from the health ministry.

The Indian capital, New Delhi, saw its first heatwave of the season with temperatures soaring past 45 C (113 F) in one of its neighborhoods on Monday. The swelter wasn’t just numerical as the real-feel temperature, the heat index factoring in relative humidity, was a couple of notches higher.

Ryan Rodriguez, a 22-year-old tourist from the U.S. was seen sipping a lemonade to keep himself cool in Delhi.

“It’s pretty hot here. I just came from a trip of the Middle East, so I am sort of adjusting to it. But (this is) much hotter than Virginia. I haven’t seen any worse heat than this in India so far,” said Rodriguez.

For autorickshaw driver Pradeep Kumar, the scorching heat was taking a toll on his health and impacting household income as people avoided daytime commuting.

“This heat makes us very tired. We drink water to keep up. But many times our health gets affected,” Kumar said. “I feel troubled.”

The weather department has issued heatwave warnings for the next couple of days in northern India that include the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and the New Delhi national capital region. Some parts of those ares may witness light showers from Thursday, bringing relief.

India declares a heat wave whenever temperatures are above 40 C (104 F) in the plains and 30 C (86 F) or more in its hilly regions.

Heatwaves are usually reported from March to June and in some cases in July. The peak month is May, but it was relatively cooler this season due to weather aberrations amid multiple westerly disturbances, said G.P. Sharma, president at private weather forecaster Skymet.

In Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, a punishing heatwave made people's lives difficult as power grids struggled to keep pace with the soaring electricity demand.

“There is no light for hours in the afternoon, just when the heat is unbearable,” said Shabnam Khan, a homemaker in Lucknow, the state’s capital city. “The fan stops, the cooler doesn’t work, and we are left sitting on the floor, drenched in sweat.”

The state recorded its highest-ever electricity demand of 30,161 megawatts late Sunday as millions of homes and businesses ran cooling systems to beat the heat. Officials expect demand to surpass 32,000 megawatts in the coming weeks.

Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, said the battle against this brutal summer heat was far from over as seasonal monsoon rains were still weeks away.

“We are seeing the worst of both heat and humidity. This is no longer just a matter of discomfort. It is becoming a public health emergency,” said Singh.

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Banerjee reported from Lucknow, India. Associated Press video journalist Piyush Nagpal in New Delhi contributed to the report.