At least 141 die in heatwave sweeping across India

Reports said temperature shot up to 45 degree in Odisha's Bhubaneswar and Titlagarh and  West Bengal's Bankura, more than 5 degree above normal and 3-5 degree above normal in many parts of south India, the worst affected being Telengana and Andhra Pradesh.

The situation is more or less the same in the entire northern region, including Delhi, the country's capital and western India, where Maharashtra's Latur has gone totally parched requiring supply of water from outside by special trains.

According to the Meteorological office, the temperature is expected to rise by further one or two degrees in the coming days, particularly in western India, Telengana and Rayalseema.

On Thursday, the Telangana state government stated that schools will close for summer vacation on April 16  instead of April 24 as was scheduled, because of the heat wave.

At least 111 people have died due to sunstroke in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. While Telengana accounted for 66 deaths, 45 died in Andhra Pradesh. In Odisha, at least 30 people have died.

The Odisha government has ordered all schools to remain closed till April 20. Engineers and workers have been directed to ensure that people get water to drink

Heat wave conditions are also expected in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra and Gangetic West Bengal, reports quoted the Met department as saying.

In Karnataka, the first state to declare drought this year, at least 500 villages are now completely dependent on water supplied by tankers as there is no supply.