Heatwave In India: Deaths Mount, Yamuna Dries Up As North Stares At Another Fortnight Without Monsoon

India's devastating heatwave continues, with temperatures reaching 50°C in North India. It has claimed several lives in India. Delhi faces a double crisis with a severe heatwave and water shortage.

A dry stretch of Yamuna in Delhi. ( Image Source :PTI )

The searing heatwave in North India is proving to be one of the harshest in the country's history. This summer, the temperature reached close to 50 degrees Celsius in many areas of North India, including Delhi. The maximum temperature even breached the 50°C mark in some places. This is the longest heatwave in India, reported the BBC citing officials.

Heatwave Deaths In UP, Odisha, And Madhya Pradesh

The intense heatwave has claimed at least 33 lives in Uttar Pradesh so far, according to a report in ABP News. As many as 20 people died in Kanpur and Bundelkhand on Saturday. The maximum temperature soared to 46.3 degrees in Kanpur, 46.2 degrees in Hamirpur, 46.1 degrees in Jhansi, 46 degrees in Varanasi, 46 degrees in Prayagraj, and 45.5 degrees in Agra.

Business Standard reported that 87 casualties had occurred in various states till May 31.

According to a report by Business Standard, Odisha recorded 141 heat-related deaths till June 3, of which 45 have been confirmed to be caused by heatstroke. The other deaths are under investigation.

Madhya Pradesh reported at least 14 deaths till June 3.

Bihar Heatwave Deaths 

Bihar is undergoing a record-breaking temperature surge, reported ABP Live. On Sunday, 10 deaths were reported in the state by Hindustan. At least 29 deaths were reported in the state till May 31. The figure likely rose to 45 by June 16, if local news reports are to be believed. The heatwave in Patna is so severe that people have been forced to remain confined to their homes. People are under a self-imposed curfew as temperatures soar.

Delhi Heatwave Amid Water Crisis

The country's capital Delhi is bearing the brunt of a double whammy. On one hand, the heatwave is burning Delhi, on the other, a water shortage is threatening to cripple the capital. Visuals of people queueing up to fill buckets from tankers across Delhi are going viral every day. Meanwhile, the governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh are locked in a battle over the augmentation of the water supply. The Yamuna has dried up along several stretches in Delhi, leaving bone-dry banks. Delhi reported its first heatwave-related death on May 30.

IMD Forecast For North India

The temperature in Delhi was 38.2^oC at 8.30 AM on Monday. The Regional Meteorological Centre, Delhi, issued severe heatwave for Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh. The RMC said heatwave conditions are likely to prevail over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and in some areas of Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan as well. "Warm night conditions in isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are likely to continue," the RMC said. 

The India Meteorological Department in Delhi issued an orange alert for severe heat and heatwave in Delhi for the next three days. This means that there is no hope of rain for these days.

When Will Monsoon Arrive In Delhi?

Monsoon has arrived in some parts of the country like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the Northeast. However, Delhi will have to wait longer for relief from the heatwave. The IMD earlier said there was no possibility of monsoon arriving in Delhi before June 30. IMD scientist Soma Sen Roy earlier said the time for the monsoon to arrive in Delhi is around June 30.