Heavy rains wreak havoc in India: Over 200 dead, one crore plus affected

Monsoon rains have brought flooding and deadly landslides to several states in India over the last one month. Flooding in the country is affecting the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and over 200 people have lost their lives, due to heavy rainfall.

Assam has witnessed 26 deaths where almost 28 districts and around 36 to 37 lakh people have been affected. 22 people have been reported dead in central state of Madhya Pradesh. Around 58,000 people have been affected by flooding in parts of West Bengal, India, over the last 2 days. Heavy rain in catchment areas, including in Sikkim and Bhutan, have increased river levels in West Bengal.

Continuous rain and rise in water levels in various rivers have caused massive flooding in the Seemanchal part of Bihar. Water released from Nepal has also compounded the tragedy. Mud houses have been damaged, crops destroyed and livestock washed away in the flood. Nearly half a million people have been affected by the floods in 8 districts of Bihar and at least 17 people have died in different regions of Bihar.

In Delhi NCR, thousands of office goers and other commuters were stranded in Gurgaon as heavy rains led to waterlogging on National Highway-8 on Thursday. This has led to massive traffic jams, forcing Gurgaon authorities to shut down schools and a few offices declaring a holiday. Many motorists abandoned their vehicles and waded through knee-deep water which accumulated on both the sides of Delhi-Jaipur road, bringing traffic to a standstill, with the tailback extending up to 15-20 kilometers.

The flood situation in Assam was in a grim state with the number of affected people rising to over 18 lakh. South Indian city Bengaluru was left battling traffic jams, waterlogged roads and flooding on Friday after heavy rains. Uninterrupted rains saw several areas of the city inundated with water from nearby lakes entering houses. The fire department pressed into service a boat to rescue those stranded due to the flood waters. A few were seen using fishing nets to catch any fish that might have strayed out of the overflowing lakes.

Indian government has started relief work throughout the nation. Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited the flood affected areas of Assam and assured that Centre is ready to provide all possible help. He said that Inter-ministerial team will soon visit Assam. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Singh said that the state government has announced compensation to victims and assured that rescue and relief operations are underway.