Delhi, India - May 23, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of people walking in outdoor area amid heatwave
2. Various of traffic, riders on motorbike
3. Various of cracked soil, shrinking pond, dead fish on pond bottom
4. Various of workers at construction site
5. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Shivam Kumar, construction worker:
"I have no choice. I came to the city to earn a living, I will have to work in this heat as I am responsible for my family."
6. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Raj Kumar, construction worker:
"When the heat rises we take water breaks and rest in the shade for a little while. The drinking water is warm, but we'd rather have cold water. Where will we find ice to cool the water? We are managing somehow."
7. Various of people walking, resting in outdoor area
8. Vendor selling frozen fruits, cold drinks
9. Birds in water

FILE: India - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Aerial shots of farmland
11. Farmers working in field

India - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Mahesh Palawat, climate and meteorology forecaster, Skymet Weather Services (partially overlaid with shot 13):
"More than 60 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture. That is why the sowing will be satisfactory on time due to good rainfall during the month of June. So the farmers will be at risk because after the sowing, their requirement of rainfall is there, but there will not be enough rainfall."

++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
Delhi, India - May 23, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
13. Man drinking water
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
14. Pedestrians, Indian national flag
15. Various of agricultural produce, people at farmer's market
16. Secretariat Building

India - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Thiagarajan Jayaraman, climate scientist/research fellow, Tata Institute of Social Sciences:
"I think climate shocks in the short term will certainly be the danger of shortages and prices rising as a result, etc. And there will be in agricultural commodities and some knock-on effect to other commodities will be there."

Delhi, India - May 23, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
18. Tents with banner reading "cooling zone"
19. Various of people resting, drinking water in cooling zone
20. Sign showing services in cooling zone
21. Various of staff member distributing supplies
22. India Gate, motorist

A severe heatwave persisted in Delhi for the fifth straight day on Saturday, triggering a mass fish die-off and straining outdoor laborers, as the national meteorologists warned of more extreme heat next week due to a developing Super El Nino pattern.

The fish deaths occurred in a lake after water levels dropped due to a pipeline leak, with extreme temperatures further reducing dissolved oxygen levels.

For outdoor workers, the prolonged heat has become a daily battle.

"I have no choice. I came to the city to earn a living, I will have to work in this heat as I am responsible for my family," said Shivam Kumar, a construction worker.

"When the heat rises we take water breaks and rest in the shade for a little while. The drinking water is warm, but we'd rather have cold water. Where will we find ice to cool the water? We are managing somehow," said Raj Kumar, another worker.

The India Meteorological Department has warned that heatwave conditions are likely to continue, possibly driven by a Super El Nino weather pattern that would severely warm Pacific Ocean surface temperatures.

The phenomenon raises concerns over extreme heat, drought and a weaker-than-normal monsoon season, a development that could put millions of farmers at risk.

"More than 60 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture. That is why the sowing will be satisfactory on time due to good rainfall during the month of June. So the farmers will be at risk because after the sowing, their requirement of rainfall is there, but there will not be enough rainfall," said Mahesh Palawat, a climate and meteorology forecaster.

Other experts warn that a weaker monsoon could reduce agricultural output and drive food inflation higher. Combined with the ongoing Middle East crisis, analysts say the pressure could further slow India's economic growth.

"I think climate shocks in the short term will certainly be the danger of shortages and prices rising as a result, etc. And there will be in agricultural commodities and some knock-on effect to other commodities will be there," said Thiagarajan Jayaraman, a climate scientist at Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

India already has heat action plans in place, such as "cooling zones" being set up on roadside, but experts say they require significant upgrades. There are growing calls to classify extreme heat as a national disaster, with demands for dedicated funding for heat-resilient infrastructure and stronger early warning systems.