Floods in Nepal in 2019
As many as four million people in the Indian state of Assam and neighbouring Nepal have been displaced by severe flooding and at least 189 people have been killed.
Heavy rainfall over the past week caused riverbeds to burst, triggering mudslides and pushing at least 27,000 people into relief camps. The floods have further submerged cropland and villages.
Assam water resources Minister Keshab Mahanta told Reuters “The flood situation remains critical with most of the rivers flowing menacingly above the danger mark.”
The floods have affected people in 25 of Assam’s 33 districts, but the monsoon season will likely last at least another three months.
Twin Challenges of Flooding and Covid-19
Whilst floods are common in Assam during the Monsoon season; lockdowns have prevented governments from completing pre-monsoon repairs on river embankments.
Local NGOs have been unable to collect inadequate response funding with many reporting a lack of social distancing norms in relief camps.
Many families have already faced months of lost income due to the pandemic and continue to struggle due to the immense damage to agriculture.
Read more from Reuters, the Times of India, and New Humanitarian.
