97 of the world’s 100 hottest cities on Friday afternoon were in India, as a brutal heatwave tightened its grip across northern, central and eastern parts of the country, pushing temperatures well above 45 degrees Celsius by noon.Women cover themselves with scarves to beat the scorching heat, in Kanpur on Thursday. (Pintu Verma)According to AQI.in, the global top-100 hottest cities list at 2:50 pm IST were overwhelmingly dominated by Indian cities, with Balangir in Odisha emerging as the hottest location at 48°C.Also Read | Warmest night in 14 yrs, power demand to touch 9,000 MW: How Delhi summer is already breaking records97 out of 100 hottest cities in the world in IndiaIt was followed by Sasaram in Bihar at 48°C and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh at 47°C. Humidity levels in several cities hovered between 6 and 8 per cent, placing conditions in the “extreme hot” category.The only exceptions in the top-100 list were three cities in Nepal - Dhangadhi, ranked 23rd, Nepalgunj at 34th, and Lumbini Sanskritik at 76th - where temperatures ranged between 45°C and 46°C. Apart from these three Nepalese cities, every other location on the list was in India.Other cities in the top-100 hottest list included Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh at 26th place with 46°C, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh at 32nd with 46°C, Patiala, Punjab at 42nd with 46°C, Warangal, Telangana at 55th with 46°C, and Haridwar, Uttarakhand at 56th with 46°C.Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan was at 62nd with 45°C, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh at 64th with 45°C, Dhanbad, Jharkhand at 71st with 45°C, Chandigarh at 77th with 45°C, Agra, Uttar Pradesh at 90th with 44°C, Bharatpur, Rajasthan at 97th with 44°C, and Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh at 100th with 44°C.Also Read | India heatwave: How temperatures above 40°C attack the human body; take these steps to protect yourself and your family300- suspected cases of heat-related illnessesMeanwhile, more than 300 suspected cases of heat-related illnesses have been reported in Andhra Pradesh between the start of March and mid-May, according to the state health department, according to a Reuters report.Andhra Pradesh recorded 325 suspected heatstroke cases between March 1 and May 19, with nearly a third reported since the beginning of May.Heatstroke, a medical emergency caused by the body overheating, can trigger confusion, dizziness, nausea, seizures, loss of consciousness and organ failure if not treated promptly, the report added.State authorities have advised people to avoid stepping outdoors between 11 am and 4 pm, warning that “heatwaves and extreme temperatures are at their peak” during those hours.India’s weather office has forecast “heatwave to severe heatwave conditions” across Delhi and large parts of northern India between May 22 and May 27.The severe heat has also led to long queues of patients suffering from diarrhoea and dehydration at hospitals in several parts of the country, while water shortages have been reported in the western state of Gujarat, visuals from news agency ANI showed.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains and 30 degrees Celsius in hilly regions, and remains 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius above normal, or when temperatures touch 45 degrees Celsius.Local media reported that the highest maximum temperature recorded so far this year was 48 degrees Celsius in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, earlier this week.