Although the annual monsoon brings rainfall that farmers depend on, scientists say that due to climate change, this phenomenon is becoming increasingly unstable, harder to predict, and more deadly across the South Asia region.
Assam state in northeastern India is among the regions most affected by the annual rains. In this state, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, at least 87 people have died.
About 47 people died in the worst-hit Sivasagar district of the state, and several areas remain underwater.
State authorities have urged the public to donate money to support relief and recovery efforts.
“The destruction seen here is unlike anything these areas have experienced before,” H. B. Sarma posted on the social network X. “Material losses can be compensated, but no compensation can replace a loved one.”
Photos from the news agency AFP show residents, assisted by state disaster relief officials, trying to reach higher ground by rafts and inflatable boats.
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In the southern Indian state of Kerala, Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan said that at least 15 people died during several days of heavy rains, and another seven are missing.
Due to landslides caused by the rains and rivers overflowing their banks, more than 300 relief camps were set up in the state, sheltering over 10,000 people.
According to the state broadcaster, at least 31 people died in the Jammu and Kashmir state in the Himalayas.
After long regional summers when many parts of India suffer from water shortages and drought, monsoon-related disasters occur annually in the country.
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