India is in the middle of a brutal heat wave, and more than 1,100 people, many of them poor and elderly, have already died as a result. With temperatures hovering at around 113 degrees through this week, thousands more are at risk.
According to Al Jazeera, roads have melted in parts of New Delhi, and many of those who have died from the heat were either outdoor laborers or people who had nowhere to go for shelter.
The government has already advised the public to stay indoors if possible, and to carry a hat and plenty of water before venturing outdoors. In the country of more than 1.2 billion people, hundreds die every year during heat waves, although the most vulnerable are usually the ones most likely to suffer.
Heat waves may be common in India, but as climate change worsens, many other parts of the world will experience record-breaking heat as well. Parts of Australia have already seen temperatures spike so high that the country's weather service had to add another color to its forecasting map. Last fall, California saw record temperatures compound the problems presented by the state's already-severe drought.
According to the BBC, May is India's hottest month, and temperatures will cool down after the monsoons hit sometime in the coming weeks.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT