India sizzles as new recordtemperature of almost 53C set amid climate concerns

A boy bathes his cattle in the River Tawi in Jammu, India. Photo: AP

Atul Prakash and Pratik Parija

The mercury hit a record 52.9C at a weather observatory in Delhi yesterday, with heatwaves in several parts of the country posing serious health risks and sending peak electricity demand in the capital to an all-time high.

The extreme level was recorded at the Mungeshpur automatic weather station, according to the India Meteorological Department, which had earlier provided a figure of 52.3C.