Labourers bear brunt of searing Indian heatwave.

(From Agence France Presse)

Authorities battling a heatwave that has claimed nearly 800 lives in southern India face their biggest challenge convincing the poor that it is best to skip a day's work under the scorching sun.

Faced with temperatures rising above 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), officials in the state of Andhra Pradesh are rushing replenishing salts to healthcare centres and urging residents to stay inside -- particularly between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm.

But for many labourers, spending the gruelling Indian summer indoors is a luxury they simply cannot afford.

"A large number of people who have been killed are those who survive on daily wages," said Rajat Kumar, administrative head of Vizinagaram, one of the worst-affected districts in the northeast of the province.

"So despite all our warnings they have had no choice but to go out in search of work everyday," he said.

Theoretically, agricultural laborers should be able to take it easy in May and June, the hottest months in the calendar here, as there is plenty of work later in the year during harvest time.