Photo Indiatimes.com
Temperatures in northern India have risen above 50 deg C, 122 deg F as the 2019 heatwave ramps up before the monsoon rain arrives.
A temperature of 50.6 deg C, 123 deg F was recorded in the Rajasthan city of Churu this weekend which is just .4 deg C short of India's highest ever recorded temp in 2016.
According to Yahoo.com, the heatwave has triggered warnings of water shortages and heatstroke.
All of Rajasthan suffered in severe heat with several cities hitting maximum temperatures above 47 Celsius.
The Indian Meteorological Department said severe heat could stay for up to a week across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states.
Several deaths from heatstroke have already been recorded.
A red alert severe heat warning has been issued in the capital New Delhi as temperatures passed 46 Celsius, and residents were advised not to go out during the hottest hours of the day.
Even in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, where many wealthy Indians go to escape the summer heat, temperatures reached 44.9 Celsius in Una.
Several major cities, led by Chennai, have reported fears of water shortages as lakes and rivers start to dry up.
In the western state of Maharashtra, farmers struggled to find water for thirsty animals and crops.
"We have to source water tankers from nearby villages as water reserves, lakes and rivers have dried up," said Rajesh Chandrakant, a resident of Beed, one of the worst-hit districts.
"There is no drinking water available for days on end and we get one tanker every three days for the entire village," Tonde told AFP.
"We are scared for our lives and livelihood," he added.
The Hindustan Times newspaper said many Beed residents had stopped washing and cleaning clothes due to the water shortage.
More than 40 per cent of India faces drought this year, experts from Gandhinagar city's Indian Institute of Technology, warned last month.
The Indian peninsula has seen a drastic change in rainfall patterns over the past decade, marked by frequent droughts, floods and sudden storms.
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