Floods threaten hundreds of thousands in northeast India

GUWAHATI, India: Flood waters rose Monday throughout northeastern India, the place a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals are stranded on the roofs of their houses or have fled to larger floor as extra torrential rain fell.
Incessant downpours for greater than per week compelled the Brahmaputra and different main rivers to burst their banks throughout Assam and Bihar states.
As much as two meters (6.6 ft) of water has submerged many villages. Specialists say annual floods which hit the area are getting worse due to local weather change.
At one dam, authorities launched water fearing the partitions would collapse.
The floods have additionally threatened a UNESCO World Heritage-listed reserve that’s dwelling to the biggest focus of one-horned rhinos.
Tens of hundreds of individuals are caught in villages lower off by the floods and the state governments mentioned greater than 400,000 had been moved to larger floor.
Sixteen-year-old Anuwara Khatun mentioned she and her household have spent almost per week on the roof of their dwelling at Ghasbari in Assam’s Morigaon district.
“The water stage has been rising for 5 days now,” she instructed AFP by phone from her stricken village on the banks of the Brahmaputra.
“A whole lot of households are caught on their roofs. There’s a scarcity of important provides so we solely eat as soon as a day. There isn’t a hygiene right here.”
Santosh Mandal moved his household to a sandbank in Bihar’s Supaul district after his village was flooded.
“There isn’t a clear water to drink, meals to eat and the kids are crying for milk. We’re praying for assist as a result of the federal government has but to ship reduction,” Mandal mentioned.
The Bihar authorities has despatched rescue boats to get individuals to security however these are concentrated within the worst-hit districts.
The Bihar and Assam governments mentioned greater than 12,000 individuals have been in reduction camps.
The Bihar authorities opened up the Valmiki Gandak dam, warning individuals in close by villages to maneuver away, after 16 centimeters (six inches) of rain fell in 24 hours.
About 70 % of the 430-square-kilometer (166-square-mile) Kaziranga Nationwide Park in Assam is underwater, threatening its uncommon one-horned rhinoceroses in addition to elephants and wild boar.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam’s chief minister, on Monday made an “pressing attraction” for visitors to keep away from a key freeway via the reserve.
He mentioned animals that search shelter on the freeway have been now in danger.