New Delhi residents faced misery on Saturday as the Indian capital reeled under one of its worst power and water shortages in years, during an acute heatwave and a delayed rainy season. The city's power grid has been stretched thin, with demand at its highest ever as the worst-hit areas have suffered outages of up to 10 hours over the past few days.
The power cuts also affected water supplies and forced many to sleep in their air conditioned cars as the mercury reached 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit). Angry residents blocked roads and protested outside power distribution companies on Friday, demanding government action and saying that helplines set up to take complaints were not functioning.
Traffic lights and universities were not spared from the cuts and even New Delhi's main international airport had to rely on a back-up power supply. Since April more than 100 people have died in a heatwave roasting mostly northern and eastern India.
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