Floods displace millions, cut off entire villages

Over two million people have been displaced by floods in India as monsoon rains hammer the states of Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.


Photo taken from The Indian Express

The worst-hit state is Orissa, which continues to suffer the result of one of the worst floods in recent history. Rising waters in more than 3,000 villages across 10 districts are responsible for 17 deaths so far. These floods come less than a week after the massive flooding from the Mahanadi river system, and have cut off over 1,100 villages. Breaches in river banks and embankments are responsible for villages being cut off; helicopters are now the only way to bring food and water to people stranded there.

The State Emergency Centre has declared that in the last 48 hours, five helicopters from the Air Force, the Navy and the State's own fleet have air-dropped 9,009 food packets in a number of cut-off villages. They have deployed 10 teams (over 300 men with 60 boats) for rescue and relief operations. These teams have started evacuating marooned people to safety; officials say that over 61,000 people have been evacuated so far.