India faces a severe heatwave with 99 deaths in Odisha, unprecedented temperatures in Delhi, and a water crisis, prompting urgent measures and a forecast for slight relief.

Temperatures passed 50 degrees Celsius in northern India as an unrelenting heatwave triggered warnings of water shortages and heatstroke.

Air quality index at 12 times US government-recommended level and visibility low

Some 600 million Indians, about half the population, face high to extreme water scarcity conditions, with about 200,000 dying every year from inadequate access to safe water, says a government report.