India recorded its warmest March in over a
century, with the maximum temperature across the country reaching 33.1 degrees
Celsius, nearly 1.86 degrees above normal, according to the India
Meteorological Department. In a meeting with federal officials on
Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told authorities to take measures to
avoid deaths due to heat waves and fire incidents, according to a statement
issued by his office. "He stressed that in view of the
rising temperatures, regular hospital fire safety audits need to be done,"
the statement said. Over two dozen people have died in India
from exposure to extreme heat since late March, as temperatures in many parts
of the north, west and the east surged past 40C. Scientists have linked the early onset of
an intense summer to climate change, and say more than a billion people in
India and neighbouring Pakistan were in some way vulnerable to the extreme
heat. With monsoon rains likely to arrive within
weeks, Modi also told authorities to create "Flood Preparedness
Plans" and make arrangements for monitoring the quality of drinking water.