New Delhi witnessed a blistering heatwave over the weekend, with at least two weather stations recording temperatures of more than 49°C.
This is the first time in nearly six decades that the mercury touched that record mark in the Indian capital.
Roads remained deserted and residents struggled to get any respite from the sweltering heat as air-conditioners and water-coolers failed to fight the heat.
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An elephant is given a cooling shower at a conservation reserve in Uttar Pradesh state. AFP -
A boy bathes as he waits to collect water from a municipal tanker on a hot summer day in New Delhi. Reuters -
A woman fills a plastic container with drinking water from a municipal tanker in New Delhi. Reuters -
A boy jumps into a pond in Mumbai. Large parts of India are experiencing the hottest April on record. EPA -
A man selling candy floss in Mumbai helps a water vendor who is using an umbrella as a parasol. AP -
Men ride a motorcycle during a hot afternoon on the outskirts of New Delhi. EPA -
A boy eats an ice lolly on the outskirts of New Delhi. EPA -
Women ride a motorised rickshaw in Amritsar. AFP -
A boy drinks soda beside the Arabian Sea in Mumbai. AP -
At a factory in New Delhi, a worker waits to load ice blocks on to a vehicle. Reuters -
A child plays near a paddy field on the outskirts of Gauhati, Assam state. AP -
Men enjoy a slide at a water park in New Delhi. AFP -
People take a dip in a wave pool at a water park in New Delhi. AFP -
Youths use their helmets to pour water over themselves near a construction site on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Reuters -
A labourer naps near sacks of vegetables in Jammu. AP -
A boy bathes in the Ranbir Canal in Jammu. AP -
A man drinks water in Allahabad. AFP -
A woman covers her head with a plastic tub near Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers. AFP -
Men walk over the bed of the Yamuna River in search of recyclable material in New Delhi. Reuters -
Residents of New Delhi fill containers with water from a municipal tanker. Bloomberg
Frequent power cuts were reported from several parts of the city and the adjacent satellite cities of Noida and Gurgaon.
“The heat is unbearable,” Manju Kumari, a domestic helper in Noida, told The National. "We do not have a water-cooler, but the ceiling fan also doesn’t work because of a power cut every now and then. We are sleeping on the terrace every night."
In the capital's Mungeshpur in the north-west part and Najafgarh areas, the mercury rose to 49.2°C and 49.1°C respectively on Sunday, breaking the previous record of 49°C in May, 1966.
The city's main Safdarjung observatory recorded 45.6°C.
The Indian capital has 11 weather stations, up from two a decade ago, to monitor ultra-localised weather patterns.
The weather office, though, said that the city recorded an average temperature of 45 degree Celsius.
“Within any city, there are pockets of temperature that are higher,” Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the director-general at the India Meteorological Department, told The National. "This can be because of the urban heat effect but we are expecting some relief from today for Delhi as the temperature will likely drop to 41 degree Celsius."
Uttar Pradesh state's Banda district also recorded a high of 49 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.
The weather office has warned of a continued heatwave in isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
A dust storm and a thunderstorm is expected over northern parts of Punjab and Haryana.
The weather agency has advised people to not venture out of the house unless necessary and to drink sufficient water.
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A parakeet is nourished with water mixed with multivitamins, after it was dehydrated during scorchingly hot weather in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters. Reuters -
A vet administers an injection to an eagle at Jivdaya Charitable Trust, a rehabilitation centre for birds and animals, in Ahmedabad, where the temperature this week hit 45.8°C. Reuters -
Birds falling from trees and the sky is a common occurrence every summer in India, but this year the instances have increased by 30 per cent. Reuters -
The Jivdaya Charitable Trust is treating birds and animals for dehydration, disorientation, fractures and other injuries due to the searing heat. Reuters -
A labourer drinks water from a tanker at a construction site on a hot summer day in Noida. India is experiencing a heatwave in the northern and western parts of the country. Reuters -
A man cools off under a pipe of flowing water on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India. Reuters -
A man sleeps under a bridge in a bid to escape the searing heat in New Delhi. Reuters -
Men sleep in the shade on the banks of the Yamuna River. Reuters -
People shelter under a bridge from scorching heat in New Delhi. EPA -
Cracked mud at the bottom of a dry pond on a hot day in Mauharia village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Reuters -
Cattle drink water at an abandoned stone quarry in Chipiya Abhaipur, Uttar Pradesh. Reuters
While the north was baking under the unprecedented heatwave, most parts of the southern peninsula experienced heavy rainfall.
The southern state of Kerala had 52.2mm of rain, while Lakshadweep recorded 57.7mm of heavy spells on Sunday.
A few low-lying areas in Kerala were flooded and state authorities deployed response forces and disaster management teams.
The weather office has issued a red alert — the highest level of warning — in five districts for heavy to very heavy rains on Monday.
It has urged people to avoid travelling to hilly areas prone to landslides and advised fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea.
