Temperatures soared to as high as 49°C in Uttar Pradesh, putting lives at risk, a delay in wheat harvesting, damage to fruit and vegetable crops and a slowdown in industrial activities
Residents fill water from a water tanker in Kusumpur Pahari slum in New Delhi, India, on May 13 2022. Picture: BLOOMBERG/RUHANI KAUR
Temperatures in north India, one of the regions severely affected by the extreme weather, fell as much as 3°C on Monday, said RK Jenamani, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department. Heatwaves could ease further, before the mercury starts rising again next week, he said. The withering heat, which sent temperatures to as high as 49°C at Banda in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, has raised the risk of loss of lives, a delay in wheat harvesting, some damage to fruit and vegetable crops, and a slowdown in industrial activities. Some states have been cutting off power supplies for as long as eight hours in a day to manage demand.