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More than a billion people are facing a severe heatwave across parts of South Asia this week.

Temperatures are expected to reach 44C in India's capital Delhi, and could hit as high as 50C in parts of Pakistan.

An unusually early heatwave which started last month, has already brought extreme heat to a large area of India and weather experts are predicting more high temperatures to come.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued heatwave warnings for several large cities, and some regions have shut down their schools for the next few days.

While heatwaves are common in India, they don't usually begin until around May or June.

However, this year temperatures began increasing in March, so much so, that last month was the hottest recorded in India for over 120 years.

India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said: "Temperatures are rising rapidly in the country, and rising much earlier than usual."

Mr Modi also flagged the increased risk of fires due to rising temperatures.

The hot weather has caused a huge demand for electricity for air conditioning in the country, which has led to power cuts in some places.

There are also warnings of water shortages and that crops could be at risk.

Scientists say the extreme weather is undoubtedly linked to climate change and have warned that heatwaves are likely to become more common and intense due to global heating.