Saturday, October 5, 2024

India: In the northeastern states, 400,000 have fled floods – the last hour

(ANSA) – NEW DELHI, Aug 30 – Hundreds of thousands of people in northeastern India have been forced to seek refuge on their rooftops or in hilly areas, after a week of incessant rain inundated the Brahmaputra and other major rivers. Flooding most of the states of Assam and Bihar. Many villages are submerged by more than two meters of water.

Today, after 16 cm of water fell in the past 24 hours, the Bihar state government has decided to authorize the opening of Valmiki Gandak Dam.

Bihar authorities estimate that more than 400,000 people have been forced to seek shelter in the upper regions, while another 12,000 have found refuge in emergency camps.

The flood also hit the Kaziranga Nature Reserve, in Assam, inundating 70% of the 430 square kilometers of the UNESCO-protected nature park, where, along with elephants and lions, the last specimens of rhinoceros, a native species considered, live. in it. at risk of extinction.

According to experts, the floods that occur annually in the region are significantly increasing in intensity and frequency due to climate change.

(Ansa).

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