Monsoon floods displace 200,000 in north-east India

Jul 3, 2009, 9:25 GMT

   New Delhi - Floods triggered by monsoon rains have inundated hundreds of villages and displaced an estimated 200,000 people in India's north-eastern state of Assam, a news report said Friday.

   Heavy rains since Wednesday have seen the Brahmaputra, among Asia's largest rivers, overflowing in various places, the IANS news agency reported.

   'Four districts of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Jorhat and Nagaon were hit by the current wave of flooding that has left about 200,000 people displaced in some 350 villages during the past two days,' Assam Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidar Burman told IANS.

   Most of the displaced people were in makeshift shelters on embankments. Many villagers moved to higher ground around their homes.

   The state government was providing food and medical support to the flood-hit villagers in Assam, one of the Indian states which is generally worst-affected by the monsoon.

   'The situation is critical and we are trying our best to mitigate the woes of the people,' said Flood Control Minister Prithvi Majhi.

   Major rivers in eastern Bihar state were also in spate following heavy rains and posed a threat of floods.

   Last year 3.5 million people were made homeless in floods said to be the worst in the state in the last 50 years.

   Almost every year, monsoon-driven floods cause numerous deaths as overflowing rivers submerge villages and farmland. The monsoon season in India lasts from June to October.

   According to the federal home ministry, more than 2,750 people died during the monsoon season across India last year. Nearly 28 million people, most of them living in rural areas, were affected across 16 states.