NEW DELHI (Web Desk) – Heavy monsoon rains in India have killed more than 100 people in the past week and forced tens of thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps, India’s home ministry has said.
A cyclone struck the state of West Bengal, killing 48 people in flood-related incidents. More than 200,000 people have moved to relief camps.
Read: At least 21 dead in landslide in India
Flood situation in south Bengal districts remained grim on Monday after fresh water was released from different barrages, compounding the woes of over 37 lac people in 12 affected districts.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who stayed at state secretariat Nabanna overnight to personally monitor the flood situation, would visit Habra and Ashoknagar areas of North 24 Parganas to monitor the relief and rescue operations there, the NDTV reported.
“Flood situation in the state still remained a matter of concern after fresh water was released from different barrages since last night. High tides worsened the situation,” state irrigation minister Rajib Banerjee told PTI.
Among others DVC has itself released 90000 cusecs of water since midnight last night, the minister added.
More than 200 medical teams using 120 boats have reached the flood-hit areas in an effort to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases.
India regularly witnesses severe floods during the monsoon season.
In Myanmar (also known as Burma), floods have left at least 47 dead. The refugee camps in Rakhine near the nation’s capital Sitwe – which has been declared a disaster zone – have been damaged. The UN said 140,000 people are living in the camps. Most are Rohingya Muslims.
Read more: Myanmar declares flood emergency; no shelter for Rohingya
Wind and rain from Cyclone Komen added to damage in India in recent days. Nearly four million people in 10,000 villages have been affected by the floods in the worst-affected Indian state of West Bengal, the home ministry said.
Another 28 flood-related deaths have been reported from northern Rajasthan state. Rescue workers have evacuated nearly 10,000 people to higher ground there.
Some four million people living in 14 districts in the western state of Gujarat have been affected by floods after heavy rainfall in the last few days.
At least five people have died in the eastern state of Orissa, where more than 400,000 people are affected by the floods.
On Saturday, at least 20 people were killed after a landslide in the north-eastern state of Manipur buried a while village.
India receives 80% of its annual rainfall during the monsoon between June and September.
