Massive floods have swept through large parts of India killing scores of people, wildlife and affecting millions of others. Large-scale rescue operations are under way, with authorities directing thousands to shelters while sending food and supplies to those who are stranded.
Brahmaputra, the major river of north east India overflowed due to heavy rain killing at least 79 people in the heavy flooding. According to the Assam disaster management authority, seven deaths have been recorded since Tuesday with almost 2.5 million people affected across 28 districts.
Even wildlife has not been spared, with more than 150 animals, nine of them rare one-horned rhinoceros having drowned in floods at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam, according to the authorities. The Kaziranga National Park, which now has almost one-third of its camps flooded, is home to nearly half of the global population of one-horned rhinos, which stands at around 4,000.
India’s weather department said yesterday that heavy rainfall is expected to lash northern and northeastern states for the next 2-3 days, which could further worsen the situation.
Water levels in 9 rivers in Assam are already above dangerous levels, while the tributaries of the Brahmaputra River are expected to rise further until Wednesday, according to a state government assessment report.
Multiple rivers in India’s eastern state of Bihar are also close to breaching their banks as water flows downstream from neighboring Nepal, with the entire region witnessing non-stop rains.
A massive landslide also took place in Uttarakhand, northern India blocking the Badrinath National Highway, stranding hundreds of tourists and passenger vehicles on both sides.
As more incessant rains are expected across the country in the coming days, the situation is set to worsen, disrupting normal life across the country.
