New Delhi - Floods triggered by monsoon rains have inundated
hundreds of villages and displaced an estimated 200,000 people in
India's north-eastern state of Assam, a news report said Friday.
Heavy rains since Wednesday have seen the Brahmaputra, among
Asia's largest rivers, overflowing in various places, the IANS news
agency reported.
'Four districts of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Jorhat and Nagaon were hit
by the current wave of flooding that has left about 200,000 people
displaced in some 350 villages during the past two days,' Assam
Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidar Burman told IANS.
Most of the displaced people were in makeshift shelters on
embankments. Many villagers moved to higher ground around their homes.
The state government was providing food and medical support to the
flood-hit villagers in Assam, one of the Indian states which is
generally worst-affected by the monsoon.
'The situation is critical and we are trying our best to mitigate
the woes of the people,' said Flood Control Minister Prithvi Majhi.
Major rivers in eastern Bihar state were also in spate following
heavy rains and posed a threat of floods.
Last year 3.5 million people were made homeless in floods said to
be the worst in the state in the last 50 years.
Almost every year, monsoon-driven floods cause numerous deaths as
overflowing rivers submerge villages and farmland. The monsoon season
in India lasts from June to October.
According to the federal home ministry, more than 2,750 people
died during the monsoon season across India last year. Nearly 28
million people, most of them living in rural areas, were affected
across 16 states.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story