GUWAHATI, India – Heavy rain continues to cause floods and landslides in India’s north and northeast, resulting in at least 11 deaths and affecting hundreds of thousands of people, according to officials from two affected states on July 2. In Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, nine people died in rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours, an official bulletin reported.
Two additional fatalities occurred on July 1 in Assam, a northeastern state experiencing its second wave of flooding since June 16. The floods have impacted more than 600,000 people across 19 districts, displacing over 8,000, according to a state disaster management statement.
Kaziranga National Park in Assam, which is home to nearly 2,200 one-horned rhinos (two-thirds of the global population), is also submerged, with more than half of its 233 camps flooded. Four hog deer have drowned as a result, officials said.
“The flood water has now entered my house. The water has damaged my paddy and crops. I have a family of five and I have to take shelter here. If the situation worsens, I will lose my house,” said Mr. Faizul Islam, a local resident, as reported by news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.
Visuals from ANI showed flooded fields and roads across Assam, with residents moving precious belongings and furniture from their waterlogged homes. In neighboring Bangladesh, the flood situation is rapidly worsening due to continuous rain and upstream water flow from India, leaving tens of thousands marooned, officials said on July 2.
Authorities in Chittagong, in southeastern Bangladesh, used loudspeakers to warn residents about the high risk of landslides triggered by heavy rain and to offer help in evacuations, according to government official Abul Bashar Mohammed Fakruzzaman.
India’s northeast and Bangladesh have experienced severe flooding over the past two months, leaving millions stranded. Weather authorities predict that the situation could worsen. In Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China and is also affected by incessant rains, schools in the capital Itanagar have been closed until the end of the week, local officials said.
More rain is forecasted for the region over the next three days, according to the country’s weather office. India’s weather department issued warnings on July 2 for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across western, northern, and northeastern states for the rest of this week.