Monsoon continues... by Sean Batty
At least 30,000 people have been forced from their homes as monsoon rains triggered flash floods in Assam, India, where the Brahmaputra River has been causing havoc. The river, which is one of the longest in the world, has been overflowing occasionally over the last week, flooding many acres of farmland in the northeastern state.
Government figures show a massive 30,000 people have been forced from their homes since flooding began on May 31st, with 75 villages having been affected.
Around 8,000 hectares of land, including over 3,000 of farmland, have been submerged. Part of the internationally famed Kaziranga National Park in eastern Assam, and is home to the world's largest concentration of the endangered one-horned rhinos, has also been badly affected by the flooding. The animals are now being moved to higher ground in the park.
Authorities in India are concerned that the situation is only going to get worse with yet more rain expected.
The government warned that the main Brahmaputra River and its major tributaries are flowing above the danger level and are still continuing to rise.
The government is desperate to avoid a catastrophe on the scale seen back in 2004, when 200 died and around 12 million were displaced by monsoon flooding.
Last year the monsoon wasn’t as intense, therefore sparing millions of people from the usual ravaging floods which sweep the area during the annual rains.
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