Floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in northeast India kill at least 16 people
GUWAHATI, India: Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 16 people in northeast India over the past two weeks and forced more than 300,000 people to flee their submerged homes, authorities said on Tuesday.
The Indian Army and Air Force are supporting rescue efforts in Assam, one of the worst-hit states. A military helicopter airlifted 13 fishermen there early Tuesday morning who had been stranded for four days on a small island in the Brahmaputra, one of Asia’s largest rivers, officials said.
The Brahmaputra, which flows 1,280 kilometers through the state of Assam before crossing Bangladesh, overflows its banks every year. But this year, increased rainfall has made the river – already known for its strong, unpredictable currents – even more dangerous for living near or on one of the more than 2,000 island villages in its middle.
In the neighboring state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, several roads were destroyed by landslides. Army soldiers rescued 70 students and teachers from a flooded school in Changlang district, police said. Severe flooding also washed away roads and caused bridges to collapse in the states of Sikkim, Manipur and Meghalaya.
According to official figures, more than 80 people have died in six northeastern states since the end of May due to floods and landslides caused by the rains.
In Assam, animals in the famous Kaziranga National Park, home to around 2,500 Indian rhinos, are fleeing to higher ground to escape the floods. Park rangers are monitoring their movements to ensure their safety, said the state’s chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Landslides and floods are common in the northeast of the country during the monsoon season from June to September. India, and the state of Assam in particular, is considered one of the regions in the world most affected by climate change due to heavier rainfall and flooding, according to a report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based climate think tank.