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Reuters
GUWAHATI
Millions of people are stranded by flooding in northeast India with concern growing about food and water supplies, and officials said on Wednesday that water levels of a major river were rising even further.
At least 5.8 million people have been displaced - a million more than on Monday - and some 30 have died in the past two weeks in the tea-growing state of Assam due to the monsoon rains, local government officials said.
“The water level of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries have started showing a rising trend since midday and flowing above the danger mark in at least 10 places,” an Assam Disaster Management Authority official said.
Many thousands in the state are making do with only the most meagre food supplies and dirty water.
“We’ve just been surviving on boiled rice for almost seven days now,” said Anamika Das, a mother at Amtola relief camp in Assam’s Lakhimpur district.
She said she was having difficulty breastfeeding her baby boy.
Assam has been the worst-affected part of India. Floods have also hit neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh.
At least 153 people have been killed in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Parts of Pakistan have also seen flooding.
Subhas Bania, also sheltering at Amtola, said authorities had made no provision for the supply of drinking water.
“We’ve been forced to drink muddy water,” he said.
GUWAHATI
Millions of people are stranded by flooding in northeast India with concern growing about food and water supplies, and officials said on Wednesday that water levels of a major river were rising even further.
At least 5.8 million people have been displaced - a million more than on Monday - and some 30 have died in the past two weeks in the tea-growing state of Assam due to the monsoon rains, local government officials said.
“The water level of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries have started showing a rising trend since midday and flowing above the danger mark in at least 10 places,” an Assam Disaster Management Authority official said.
Many thousands in the state are making do with only the most meagre food supplies and dirty water.
“We’ve just been surviving on boiled rice for almost seven days now,” said Anamika Das, a mother at Amtola relief camp in Assam’s Lakhimpur district.
She said she was having difficulty breastfeeding her baby boy.
Assam has been the worst-affected part of India. Floods have also hit neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh.
At least 153 people have been killed in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Parts of Pakistan have also seen flooding.
Subhas Bania, also sheltering at Amtola, said authorities had made no provision for the supply of drinking water.
“We’ve been forced to drink muddy water,” he said.
