Sparse public presence on the Kartavya Path on a hot summer day, in New Delhi. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Delhi as the city grapples with an intense heatwave, with maximum temperatures soaring to 45.5 degrees Celsius in several areas.

Women walk under umbrellas on a hot summer day, in New Delhi.

Boys bath in a canal for relief from the scorching heat, near Haiderpur Water Treatment plant in New Delhi.

Boys bath in a tubewell for relief from the scorching heat, in New Delhi.

Women use scarves to protect their faces from the scorching sun during a summer afternoon, in New Delhi.

A child eat an ice-cream to beat the heat during a summer afternoon, in New Delhi.

Women use scarves to protect their faces from the scorching sun during a summer afternoon, in New Delhi.

People take protection against the scorching sun on a hot summer day, in New Delhi.

A young woman carries an umbrella to shield herself from the scorching sun during a summer morning, at a lawn along Kartavya Path, in New Delhi. Delhi woke up to a warm morning on Thursday, with the minimum temperature settling at 30.7 degrees Celsius, 2.7 notches above the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).