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India sweats under relentless heat wave

Last updated on: April 23, 2010 19:49 IST

Image: A schoolgirl crosses a dry pond on the outskirts of Jammu
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters

India continued to sweat it out as heat wave conditions persisted in northern, eastern, western and central parts of the country.

It is officially the hottest April in the last 50 years, after a blistering March witnessed an unprecedented rise in mercury.

India sweats under relentless heat wave

Image: A boy jumps into a lake to beat the heat
Photographs: Danish Ismail/Reuters

Most states are reeling under a heat wave, and the average temperature has been nearly six-seven degrees above normal.

New Delhi, Amritsar in Punjab, Purulia in West Bengal, Khaujuraho in Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha in Maharashtra have been the worst hit by the early summer.

India sweats under relentless heat wave

Image: A boy bathes in a tube well to beat the heat
Photographs: Ajay Verma/Reuters

However, the meteorological department has assured that in spite of the parched heat across India, the monsoons will be normal. And with temperatures crossing the 40 Celsius mark, most of the country is praying for an early monsoon.

India sweats under relentless heat wave

Image: A boy and buffalo cool themselves in Tawi River in Jammu
Photographs: Amit Gupta/Reuters

An unexpected spate of rains in Chandigarh recently brought some relief to the city that has been simmering under a heat wave. But the relentless heat continues to torment the rest of India

India sweats under relentless heat wave

Image: Vehicles move through a mirage of heat in Hyderabad
Photographs: Krishnendu Halder/Reuters
But for some people, the hotter it gets, the better it is for their business. The prices of road side fruit juices and lemonade has been rising steadily.