97 of the world’s 100 hottest cities were in India on Friday afternoon, where a severe heatwave tightened its grip on the northern, central and eastern parts of the country, sending temperatures soaring above 45 degrees Celsius by noon.
According to AQI.in, Indian cities overwhelmingly dominated the global top 100 list at 2:50 PM IST, with Balangir in Odisha emerging as the hottest location at 48 degrees Celsius.
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97 out of the 100 hottest cities in the world are in India
It was followed by Sasaram in Bihar at 48 degrees Celsius and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh at 47 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels in many cities ranged between 6 and 8 percent, putting conditions in the “extremely hot” category.
The only exceptions to the top 100 list were three cities in Nepal – Dhangadi, ranked 23rd, Nepalgunj, ranked 34th, and Lumbini Sanskritik, ranked 76th – where temperatures ranged between 45°C and 46°C. Apart from these three Nepalese cities, all the other locations on the list were in India.
Other cities in the top 100 list included Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh at 26th place with 46°C, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh at 32nd place with 46°C, Patiala, Punjab at 42nd place with 46°C, Warangal, Telangana at 55th place with 46°C, and Haridwar, Uttarakhand at 56th place with 46°C.
Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan came at 62nd place with 45°C, Gwalior and Madhya Pradesh at 64th place with 45°C, Dhanbad and Jharkhand at 71st place with 45°C, Chandigarh at 77th place with 45°C, Agra, Uttar Pradesh at 90th place with 44°C, Bharatpur, Rajasthan at 97th place with 44°C, and Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh ranks 100th with 44°C.
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300- Suspected cases of heat-related illness
Meanwhile, more than 300 suspected cases of heat-related illness were reported in Andhra Pradesh between the beginning of March and mid-May, according to the state health department, according to a Reuters report.
Andhra Pradesh recorded 325 suspected cases of heatstroke from March 1 to May 19, with about a third reported since the beginning of May.
The report added that heatstroke, a medical emergency caused by high body temperature, can lead to confusion, dizziness, nausea, seizures, loss of consciousness and organ failure if not treated immediately.
State authorities advised people to avoid going outdoors between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., warning that “heat waves and extreme temperatures reach their peak” during those hours.
The Indian Meteorological Office forecast a “heatwave to severe heatwave” across Delhi and large parts of northern India between May 22 and 27.
The extreme heat also led to long queues of patients suffering from diarrhea and dehydration at hospitals in several parts of the country, while water shortages were reported in the western state of Gujarat, ANI images showed.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, a heat wave is declared when the maximum temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in plains and 30 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas, and remains 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius above normal, or when temperatures touch 45 degrees Celsius.
Local media reported that the highest maximum temperature recorded so far this year reached 48 degrees Celsius in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, earlier this week.
