India swelters under deadly heat wave

Scorching heat in summer is not uncommon in northern India, but the current temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius are breaking all records. In Kolkata, a man is seen here trying to cool off in the shade at the side of the road. Further northwest, the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have reported 170 deaths, and hospitals are complaining about overcrowding and a lack of care.

The sweltering heat is especially hard on older people. Lack of fluids and heat accumulation lead to serious health problems. "We have already issued heat warnings several times," said Atul Kumar Singh of the country's Meteorological Department. But government officials only followed up with heat warnings of their own on Sunday, when the number of heat-related deaths was already rising.

In Ballia district, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of New Delhi, the largest hospital reported that it can no longer treat any more patients. Nevertheless, many people waited in the heat to be registered. But the problems are manifold: Staff are exhausted, air conditioners are failing along with the electricity, nurses have to fan the overheated patients with books to cool them down.

Capacities of the crematoria in Ballia district were overwhelmed with the rapidly increasing number of deaths. The situation had worsened drastically in the past week, with the number of dead being brought to some crematoria even doubling.

The heat also causes stress for animals and has a negative impact on their health and milk production in cows. Climate experts expect the weather extremes to continue in India. "Plans to deal with heat waves are important to minimise their impact," said Aditya Valiathan Pillai of the Indian Centre for Policy Research.

Flora and fauna are also suffering from the enormous heat. A thirsty monkey in New Delhi is seen here licking up life-saving liquid in a puddle of buttermilk on the Noida road. The cooling rains of the monsoon do not reach northern India until July, and high temperatures are expected to continue until then.

The current heat wave is not only affecting India, but large parts of Asia. Korean weather authorities issued warnings for Seoul and the eastern province of Gyeonggi at the weekend. Extreme temperatures have also been reported in Bangladesh and China.