India, Nepal, Bangladesh monsoon floods displace nearly 4 million people
- The overflowing Brahmaputra River, which flows through China’s Tibet, India and Bangladesh, has damaged crops, triggered mudslides and left around 200 dead
- Assam is facing the twin challenge of the coronavirus pandemic and floods, which began a fortnight ago
More than 2.75 million people in Assam have been displaced by three waves of floods since late May that has claimed 79 lives after two more deaths were reported overnight, a state government official said.
“The flood situation remains critical with most of the rivers flowing menacingly above the danger mark,” said Assam water resources Minister Keshab Mahanta.
India is grappling with the novel coronavirus, which has infected nearly 1.1 million people and 26,816 have died from the Covid-19 disease, government data showed on Sunday.
In neighbouring Nepal, the government asked residents along its southern plains on Sunday to remain alert as heavy monsoon rains were expected to pound the Himalayan nation where more than 100 have died in floods and landslides since June, officials said.
Some 110 people were killed and another 100 injured as landslides and flash floods washed or swept away homes, upended roads and bridges and displaced hundreds of others in 26 of the country’s 77 districts, police said.
Home ministry official Murari Wasti said the death toll was expected to rise as 48 people were still missing.
“Search and rescue teams are looking for those who are missing in different places but chances of finding them alive are slim,” Wasti said.
India reports 1 million coronavirus cases
Barun Paudel of the weather forecasting office in the capital, Kathmandu, said heavy rains were expected to pound much of the mainly mountainous nation in the next four days.
“We have urged residents to remain alert against possible landslides and floods,” he said.
Landslides and flash floods are common in Nepal, India’s Assam and Bihar states during the June-September annual rainy season.
