NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — The death toll from this year's heat waves in India has reached 220, local media reported Saturday.
During the last two weeks alone, at least 150 people died all across the country due to the excessive heat, the Dainik Bhaskar newspaper reported. As many as 120 of those died in the southern states Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
On Thursday, the maximum day temperature of 47 degrees Celsius (116.6 Fahrenheit) was recorded in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
Heat wave grips more parts of India; Odisha, Telangana, Andhra worst-hit https://t.co/pwEUPR2Yrr pic.twitter.com/WsjI9rUdH9
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) 23 апреля 2016 г.
The water levels in major reservoirs has been decreasing rapidly, with some Indian states being in the grip of water scarcity.
Last year in May, India was struck by a severe heat wave, with the highest recorded temperatures since 1995. Within the first month, at least 2,500 people died, most of them in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, according to media reports.
