GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 16 people over the past two weeks in northeast India, where more than 300,000 have been displaced from their submerged homes, authorities said Tuesday.
The Indian army and air force have been helping with rescue efforts in Assam, one of the worst-hit states, where a military helicopter on Tuesday morning airlifted 13 fishermen to safety after being stranded for four days on a small island. on the Brahmaputra, one of Asia’s largest rivers, officials said.
The Brahmaputra River, which flows 1,280 kilometers (800 miles) through the state of Assam before flowing through Bangladesh, overflows its banks annually. However, this year, increased rainfall has made the river – already known for its powerful and unpredictable flow – even more dangerous to live near or in one of the more than 2,000 island villages in its midst.
In the neighboring state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, landslides destroyed several roads. Army soldiers rescued 70 students and teachers from a flooded school in Changlang district, police said. Similarly, severe flooding in the states of Sikkim, Manipur and Meghalaya destroyed roads and collapsed bridges.
So far, more than 80 people in six Northeastern states have died since the end of May due to floods and landslides caused by rain, according to official data.
Back in Assam, animals in the famous Kaziranga National Park, home to around 2,500 one-horned rhinos, are moving to higher ground to escape the floods. Forest guards are monitoring their movements to ensure their safety, said state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Disasters caused by landslides and floods are common in the northeast region of the country during the monsoon season from June to September. India, and the state of Assam in particular, is seen as one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change due to more intense rainfall and flooding, according to a 2021 report by the Energy, Environment and Water Council, a climate entity based in New Delhi. reflection tank.
