NEW DELHI
\nFloods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains have killed more than 100 people across India since July, official data showed Wednesday, with thousands forced to flee their inundated homes.
\nWhile the annual monsoon brings rainfall that farmers depend on, scientists say climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic, unpredictable and deadly across the South Asia region.
\nIndia\u2019s northeastern state of Assam is among the hardest hit by the annual rains, with at least 87 people killed, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. In the state\u2019s worst-affected Sivasagar district, some 47 people have been killed as several areas remain under water.
\nState authorities have appealed for financial donations from the public to support relief and rehabilitation efforts.
\n\u201cThe devastation here is unlike anything these areas have witnessed before,\u201d Sarma posted on X. \u201cMaterial losses can be restored, but no compensation can replace a loved one.\u201d
\nSevere weather media images showed residents using rafts and inflated boats to reach higher ground with the help of the state\u2019s disaster response officials.
\nIn India\u2019s southern state of Kerala, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said at least 15 people have been killed and another seven were missing after heavy rains over several days.
\nMore than 300 relief camps have been set up in the state, sheltering over 10,000 people, after rains triggered landslides and swollen rivers breached their banks.
\nIn the Himalayan territory of Jammu and Kashmir, at least 31 people been killed in several short bursts of extremely intense rainfall, according to a report by the public state broadcaster.
\nMonsoon-related disasters are an annual occurrence across India after the region\u2019s long summers when many parts of the country face water scarcity and drought.
\nNeighbouring Sri Lanka has also seen unusually heavy monsoon rains that have caused flash floods and mudslides, claiming the lives of at least eight people since Monday, according to the Disaster Management Center.
\nSome 12,000 people have been driven out of their flooded homes in the central region. At the same time, the country\u2019s eastern regions were in the grip of a severe drought, with authorities having to transport drinking water for residents in tanker trucks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI Floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains have killed more than 100 people across India since July, official data showed Wednesday, with thousands forced to flee their inundated homes. While the annual monsoon brings rainfall that farmers depend on, scientists say climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic, unpredictable and deadly across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":560364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-560346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n