At least 12 people between them were swept away by torrents in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. Another six perished when their boat capsized in the swollen Rapti river. Floods triggered by heavy rains in the Himalayas have inundated nearly 1,500 villages in Uttar Pradesh. Power lines were snapped and communication towers were knocked down by the flooding. Tens of thousands of people in the villages could not be reached. Access of trucks loaded with emergency supplies and food is limited because the roads are blocked. Three army helicopters were deployed to drop food and water to the people marooned in shelters but the poor weather conditions were also making it difficult for rescue helicopters to reach the area.
Landslides in mountainous areas and flooding in the southern plains are common during the monsoon season. Last year more than 6,000 people were killed. As in many other areas in the world, heavy deforestation over the last few decades have made big areas more vulnerable to landslides.
