India experiencing its longest ever heatwave

People in India are being affected by the longest heatwave the country has ever seen, according to one of the government's top weather experts.

Parts of northern India have been experiencing extreme heat since mid-May, with temperatures reaching more than 45C in several cities.

The latest heatwave has seen temperatures in India's capital, New Delhi, match the previous record of 49.2C in 2022.

Schools in the capital had to shut early for the summer holidays last month because of the severe conditions.

Some areas of the country have also been impacted by water shortages, with the extreme heat placing huge demands on water supplies.

Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, who is the head of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), warned heatwaves in India could become a more regular occurrence if action isn't taken to address the extreme conditions.

"This has been the longest spell because it has been experienced for about 24 days in different parts of the country," Dr Mohapatra said in an interview with the Indian Express newspaper.

"Heatwaves will be more frequent, durable and intense, if precautionary or preventive measures are not taken," he said.

India is the world's third greatest emitter of greenhouse gases, with only the US and China producing higher levels than the South Asian nation.

Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide end up in the Earth's atmosphere, where they trap heat, creating what's known as the greenhouse effect.

This causes the planet's temperature to increase, which is called global warming, and leads to climate change.

Research shows climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.

India has said it aims to achieve what's known as net zero by 2070. This is when a country balances the amount of climate-changing gasses that are released into the air with the amount that's taken out - so overall, the total is zero.

However, India relies heavily on the fossil fuel coal for its power at the moment, which produces lots of greenhouse gases. Also, the nation's pledge to reach net zero comes 20 years later than many other countries across the world.

"Human activities, increasing population, industrialisation and transport mechanisms are leading to increased concentration of carbon monoxide, methane and chlorocarbons," Dr Mohapatra said.

"We are endangering not only ourselves, but also our future generations."