Stifling heat has killed more than 700 people in India in less than one week.
The worst-hit area is the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, where authorities say more than 550 people have died in the last four to five days. Another 215 have died in the neighboring state of Telangana.
India recorded its highest maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius — 117 degrees Fahrenheit — at Angul in Odisha on Monday, according to B.P. Yadav, the director of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The hot, dry conditions are being made worse by winds blowing in from Pakistan’s Sindh province across the northern and central plains of India. “This extreme, dry heat is being blown into India by westerly winds,” Yadav said.
The high temperatures are expected to continue for another two days before any respite, the IMD warned on Tuesday. However, the agency said that another hot spell would likely soon follow.
Among the states worst-hit by this season’s heat wave are Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The national capital of New Delhi, neighboring Haryana state, the desert province of Rajasthan and several central and eastern regions are also bearing the brunt of intense summer, Yadav said.
Heating taking toll on the poor
Many of the dead are reported to be poorer people, beggars and the homeless, as well as construction workers who are expected to work on building sites in direct sunlight.
Only about one third of the country’s 1.2 billion people have access to electricity, meaning millions are enduring the blistering heat without relief.
For those who do have electricity, power has dipped in and out as extra demand to run fans and air conditioning has put pressure on the system, said CNN’s Mumbai correspondent Mallika Kapur.
Many people without ways to cool their homes are seeking shelter in shops and malls — anything to escape the heat, she said.
Rain forecast
Temperatures have been at a sustained high over the past few days, with little change even at night, and are expected to remain this high for days, CNN meteorologist Tom Sater said.
India’s monsoons will provide some relief, but the rains are projected to arrive in one more week. Once they hit India’s southeastern coastline, they will likely take a few more weeks to hit the drier northern parts of India.
State authorities have been advising people to stay indoors and drink water.
Experts say that hot conditions should not normally lead to this many fatalities. But many of the affected areas in India are humid, which worsens the level of stress caused by excessive heat.
Heat waves are not uncommon in India. Studies suggest they are likely to get more intense and more frequent.