Temperature hits 50 degrees Celsius India wilts

NEW DELHI: India is wilting under a heatwave, with temperatures in places reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and the capital enduring its hottest May day in nearly two decades.

Scorching weather is a growing menace in the world’s second-most populous nation, and the United Nations warned this week that the coronavirus pandemic increased the associated health risks.

Indian meteorological officials said Churu in the northern state of Rajasthan was the hottest place on record on Tuesday, at 50 Celsius, while parts of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states sweltered in the high 40s.

Parts of the capital, New Delhi, recorded the hottest May day in 18 years with the mercury hitting 47.6 Celsius. The hot spell is projected to scorch northern India for several more days, the Meteorological Department said late on Tuesday, “with severe heat wave conditions in isolated pockets”.

No deaths have been reported so far this year, but last year the government said the heat had killed 3,500 people since 2015. There have been fewer fatalities in recent years. Last year, dozens of people died.