98 of World's 100 Hottest Cities Are in India; UP's Bindki Records 46°C as Keralam Also Swelters

New Delhi: A staggering 98 of the 100 hottest cities in the world are currently located in India, with dozens of Indian cities recording temperatures above 45°C, according to AQI data. The scopef the heat wave is underscored by the fact that it is not just major metropolitan centres but small towns too that figure in the list.

According to Saturday's data, Bindki in Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest temperature on the planet at 46°C, followed by Fatehpur and Etawah — both also in Uttar Pradesh — also at 46°C. Cities in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh are bearing the worst of the heat. The only non-Indian cities in the top 100 are Nepal's Dhangadhi at 57th place and Lumbini at 94th. Uttarakhand's Roorkee, at 44°C, rounds out the list at 100th position.

Keralam too continues to reel under intense heat, with reports of heatstroke cases in several areas. Palakkad recorded 40.2°C on Friday, while Punalur registered 38.6°C. The state government has already issued extreme heat advisories and convened high-level meetings to manage the public health emergency, with the Chief Minister calling on people to observe a voluntary self-lockdown between 11 am and 3 pm.