As the mercury soared in the cities of Surat and Ahmedabad in the western Indian state of Gujarat, commuters found newly laid roads were melting under sweltering heat, so much so that moving on them became challenging.
The maximum temperature in Ahmedabad went past 40-degree Celsius on Monday (10) and Tuesday (11) and the India Meteorological Department has cautioned that things will not change much for the rest of the week.
In Surat, too, growing heat took a toll on a major road as its fresh laid bitumen was found to be melting.
People commuting on two-wheelers were seen riding carefully to avoid accidents while pedestrians complained about their footwear sticking to the road, Times Now reported.
In Ahmedabad, a similar situation happened on a 1.5-kilometre-long road a month ago.
According to Times Now, Surat's civic authorities said stone dust was sprinkled to dry the surface after laying liquid bitumen, yet it turned sticky. They started spraying dust on the road after videos and photographs of the melting road became viral on social media.
The officials also said that treatment of the road was done ahead of monsoon to ensure that it is not damaged. They also refused to accept that there was any negligence on part of the contractor while making the road.
A youth carries an elderly man as they wade through a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Wellampitiya on the outskirts of Colombo on November 30, 2025. The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah has risen to at least 334 people across Sri Lanka, with nearly 400 still missing, the Disaster Management Centre said on November 30. Getty Images
A man carries his cat across a flooded road in Wellampitiya on the outskirts of Colombo on November 29, 2025. Sri Lanka made an appeal for international assistance on November 29 as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 123, with another 130 reported missing. Getty Images