Narendra Modi reviews India's plan to deal with unprecedented heatwave

National weather agency has warned of extreme climate in the coming months

Water tankers are filled in New Delhi, India, as another heatwave is forecast in the months ahead. Bloomberg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reviewed India's preparedness to deal with hot weather, as the country braces for unprecedented summer heat, his office said on Monday.

He chaired a meeting at which he was also briefed on the monsoon forecast, its potential impact on seasonal crops and the availability of water for drinking and irrigation.

The main wheat-growing region of the north and north-west is being scorched by unusually high temperatures already this year.

The Prime Minister was briefed about the readiness of the states and hospital infrastructure for emergencies.

The national weather agency has warned of extreme weather ahead.

A heatwave is declared when the temperature breaches the 40°C mark and is at least 4.5°C above normal seasonal levels.

“Enhanced probability of occurrence of heatwave during March to May season is likely over many regions of central and adjoining north-west India,” the Indian Meteorological Department said in its seasonal outlook.

India recorded its hottest February, in the north-west, in 122 years since records began in 1901.

The average daytime temperature was as much as 4°C above the norm at times last month.

The weather office has forecast more heatwaves than last year, with the high temperatures having an adverse affect on agriculture.

Mr Modi met officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Earth Sciences and National Disaster Management Authority.

Last year, the nation of 1.3 billion people was reeling under one of the hottest summers in almost 125 years, with several parts of the country blasted by the scorching heat.

In the capital Delhi, the temperature rose above 49°C in May — the highest recorded in the capital — which was preceded by the hottest March on record in the country.