117F In Rajahstan W. Monsoon Still Weeks Away; Electric Grid Buckling In Uttar Pradesh State

A blistering heat wave is sweeping across northern India with temperatures soaring above the normal, disrupting daily life and raising health concerns. The mercury shot up to 47.3 C (117 F) in Sri Ganganagar, a desert city in the northwestern state of Rajasthan on Monday , according to the Indian Meteorological Department. The record for the country is 51 C (124 F), set in May 2016 in Rajasthan’s city of Phalodi.

The searing heat is not just a seasonal discomfort but underscores a growing challenge for the country’s overwhelmed health infrastructure. A prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures often causes heat strokes, mainly impacting the poor, outdoor workers, children, and the elderly. Last year, a monthslong heatwave across swathes of India killed more than 100 people and led to over 40,000 suspected cases of heat stroke, according to data from the health ministry.



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In Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, a punishing heatwave made people’s lives difficult as power grids struggled to keep pace with the soaring electricity demand. “There is no light for hours in the afternoon, just when the heat is unbearable,” said Shabnam Khan, a homemaker in Lucknow, the state’s capital city. “The fan stops, the cooler doesn’t work, and we are left sitting on the floor, drenched in sweat.”

The state recorded its highest-ever electricity demand of 30,161 megawatts late Sunday as millions of homes and businesses ran cooling systems to beat the heat. Officials expect demand to surpass 32,000 megawatts in the coming weeks. Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, said the battle against this brutal summer heat was far from over as seasonal monsoon rains were still weeks away.

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https://apnews.com/article/heat-wave-hot-india-climate-temperature-weather-85bab3f13c7bbf16f972ecf51fe9dd9b