India hit by coronavirus, cyclone, locusts, floods, heatwave
India is wilting under a heatwave, with temperatures reaching 50°C in places and the capital enduring its hottest May in nearly two decades.
The hot spell is projected to scorch northern India for several more days, the weather department said, “with severe heatwave conditions in isolated pockets”.
As global temperatures rise, heatwaves are a regular menace in the country, particularly in May and June. Last year dozens of people died.
Officials said Churu in the northern state of Rajasthan was the hottest place on record on Tuesday, at 50°C, while parts of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh sweltered in the high 40s.
Parts of the capital, New Delhi, recorded the hottest day in May in 18 years with the mercury hitting 47.6°C.
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.
The nation of 1.3 billion people suffers from severe water shortages with tens of millions lacking running water — to say nothing of air conditioning.
Parts of Delhi and elsewhere regularly see scuffles when tankers arrive to deliver water. Last year Chennai made international headlines when the southern city ran out of water entirely.
The heatwave adds to the current emergency of the spread of the coronavirus.
India now has the 10th highest number of coronavirus cases globally, climbing above 150,000 on Wednesday with almost 4,500 deaths.
Last week cyclone Amphan killed more than 100 people as it ravaged eastern India and Bangladesh, flattening villages, destroying farms and leaving millions without power.
Huge swarms of desert locusts destroyed nearly 50,000ha of crops in western and central India, and may enter Delhi in coming days.
The north-eastern states of Assam and Meghalaya are experiencing floods, with more heavy rainfall forecast in the coming days. —