Asia wilts in heat delhi ruubish dump burns

Fires have broken out in forests and a landfill site as South Asia experiences an early onset of high summer temperatures
Unusually hot weather in March and April pushed up power demand and have led to power cuts in India and Pakistan
New Dehli recorded 43 degrees Celsius on Friday and many power stations reported having less than a day's worth of coal left
In the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, hundreds of forest fires have broken out in recent weeks, eating up tinder-dry pine forests, including around Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama.

Himachal Pradesh normally sees rain, hail and even snow in higher areas at this time of year, but many parts have seen no precipitation in two months, sparking more and bigger blazes than normal.

"Teams of firefighters are working hard to put out these fires and also to save wild animals," state forest chief Ajay Srivastava said.

Power cuts in both India and Pakistan were partly blamed on shortages of coal after an unusually hot March and April pushed up power demand and ate up stockpiles.

Over the past week, Pakistani cities have been cut off for up to eight hours a day, while in some rural areas people have power for only half of the day.

"There is a power crisis and load-shedding taking place across the country," said Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, blaming fuel shortages and "technical faults".

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority warned of the potential for flash floods in northern areas, with the soaring temperatures likely to accelerate snow and ice melt.

In Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city, families flocked to the canals to cool off.

"This is the only way to beat the heat. What else is there to do? It's already so warm. What will happen later in summer?" asked Abbas Ali, who was with his young son.

Coal in short supply
In the teeming Indian megacity of New Delhi — which hit 43 degrees Celsius on Friday — authorities said many power stations had "less than a day's coal left".

"The situation in entire India is dire," said Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's Chief Minister, as he warned of potential power cuts to hospitals and the city's metro.