Floods driven by incessant monsoon rains have killed seven people and affected over 1.2 million in India’s north-eastern state of Assam.
Nandini Hazarika, Assam Disaster Management official, on Tuesday in New Delhi said that soldiers were rescuing villagers from low-lying and inundated areas, while state agencies were providing food and medical supplies to flood victims.
He said that a total of 1.25 million people were displaced, stranded in or on their homes, or have suffered damage to crops, land or livelihood,
“Seven people drowned over the past week as rivers swelled and breached embankments.
“More than 100,000 people were staying in 200 relief camps,’’ he said.
Hazarika indicated that Assam’s main wildlife sanctuary, Kaziranga National Park, that is home to the largest concentration of one-horned rhinos in the world, was also inundated.
The official disclosed that India’s monsoon season usually lasts from June to September, and torrential rains routinely exert a heavy toll, causing floods, landslides, house collapses and crop destruction.
Hazarika said a report from the home ministry indicated that more than 210 people have died during the current monsoon season across India.