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00:00Temperatures in the Indian capital soared to a record high 49.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
00:07New Delhi authorities have also warned the risk of water shortages calling for collective
00:11responsibility in stopping wasteful water use. The heat is expected to continue this Wednesday.
00:18Let's get an update from our correspondent Pavni Mittal standing by in New Delhi.
00:23Pavni, I see you're shading yourself there. What's the situation like where you are?
00:30Good afternoon and well this is what even the government recommends stand in the shade because
00:36temperatures here are breaking records. In parts of New Delhi nearly 50 degrees Celsius.
00:42In other parts of North India too we've seen similar record-breaking temperatures.
00:47What's also concerning is that there are some areas in the country that are usually quite
00:52pleasant this time of year and they too are experiencing and recording record-breaking
00:57temperatures. Now this is having a lot of effect on the electricity demand. You know India's power
01:03grid is under immense strain. It's seeing its highest demand ever. This is because naturally
01:10people are using fans and cool water coolers and air conditions on full capacity. Then there is
01:17the issue of depleting water levels. In New Delhi some neighborhoods are now going to be experiencing
01:24a water supply cut. This is because the government says that we all need to sort of pitch in and make
01:30sure that you know we don't get into a drought-like situation which some other parts of India are
01:36facing. There are about 150 water reservoirs where water levels have dipped to a five-year low.
01:45Then there are concerns about the economic fallout. You know studies after study suggest that
01:51the poorest are disproportionately affected. These are people who largely work
01:57outdoors. You see them at construction sites. They're delivering you know food and other things
02:04and these are people who don't have access to the kind of health care that you know people who are
02:10wealthier have. So there are concerns that it is these tens of thousands of people in
02:16India that are going to be disproportionately affected by the ongoing heat wave.
02:21Okay Pavni, so lots of concerns there but tell us a little bit about what
02:25the authorities are doing to manage the situation.
02:31So authorities are focusing on awareness and also addressing health concerns. So just a few days ago
02:38schools in New Delhi shut for summer vacations early. The government also says it is setting
02:44aside hospital beds in government-run hospitals for people who are suffering from issues like
02:49heat strokes. But experts say that government now needs to come up with more long-term policies
02:56to address what has become now an annual affair. And it's not just extreme heat,
03:02extreme weather events have now become prolonged and more intense in India. I mean today we're
03:07talking about record-breaking temperatures. A few months ago we were discussing record-breaking
03:12pollution levels and if you do a rough calculation what's clear is that for nearly six months of the
03:18year, parts of North India including New Delhi is reeling from extreme weather events like
03:26pollution and heat.