No relief from heatwaves in northwest, central and east India until Tuesday: IMD

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Also Read: Mint Primer | Into the 50s: Why heatwaves are hotter & longerDelhi’s Mungeshpur automatic weather station on 29 May recorded a temperature of 52.9°C and on 31 May Nagpur recorded 56°C, both highest in the country for the respective days and the highest temperatures recorded in India ever. The IMD, however, attributed both incidents to likely sensor errors in extreme heat conditions.However, the heat is so intense that forest fire incidents have been reported in Gurugram's Aravali and in Jammu.

Hot weather saps moisture from vegetation, turning it into dry fuel for fire to catch and spread.Prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reviewed the situation of the ongoing heatwave in the country and the preparedness for the onset of monsoon, two days before the election results.Modi has instructed that proper drills for preventing and handling fire incidents must be done regularly. Fire audit and electrical safety audit of hospitals and other public places must be undertaken regularly.

He also said that regular drills for the maintenance of fire-line in forests and productive utilization of the biomass must be planned.As far as monsoon is concerned, the IMD said that the southwest monsoon has advanced into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Lakshadweep area, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, some parts of Karnataka, Rayalaseema and Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of southwest Bay of Bengal, some more parts of central Bay of Bengal and some parts of northwest Bay of Bengal. It further said that conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest Monsoon into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, Karnataka, Rayalaseema, coastal Andhra Pradesh, West-central and northwest Bay of Bengal during the