Heavy rains, water shortage
in S. Asia a reminder of climate emergency
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| Flood affected villagers in north-east India's Assam state take shelter on an embankment(AFP) |
While parts of South Asia struggle against the onslaught of
monsoon rains, elsewhere water shortage is affecting the survival and lives of
millions of people.
By Robin Gomes
Heavy monsoon rains have been buffeting parts of South Asia,
with a collapsing building, landslides and floods killing at least 60 people
and affecting some 1.5 million others.
Elsewhere in India, inadequate rains have led to a severe
shortage of water in several states and cities.
Nepal, north India
Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have
killed at least 50 people in Nepal in the past few days, with more deaths
reported across the border in India and Bangladesh, officials said Sunday.
At least 30 other people were missing in Nepal, either swept
away by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since monsoon rains began
pounding the region on Friday, Nepal's National Emergency Operation Centre
said.
Thirty people have been treated for injuries and more than
1,100 others rescued from flooded areas. More than 10,000 are estimated to have
been displaced.
Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology warned of
more troubles ahead for the southern region near the main rivers, urging people
to keep watch on rising water levels and move to higher ground when needed.
Rain-triggered floods, mudslides and lightning have left a
trail of destruction in other parts of South Asia.
Eleven soldiers were among a dozen bodies recovered from the
debris of a three-story building that collapsed on Sunday after rains hit a
hilly area of Himachal Pradesh state in the north. One civilian also was
killed. Several soldiers were among the 31 people rescued after the collapse in
Solan town.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, at least a dozen people, mostly farmers in
rural areas, have been killed by lightning since Saturday as monsoon rains
continue to batter parts of the country.
Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar - where more than a million
Rohingya refugees are encamped after fleeing a military crackdown in Myanmar -
has been hit by at least 58.5cm of rain this month. Hundreds of
landslides since April have killed at least 10 people in the camps.
With some 130 rivers crisscrossing the low-lying delta
nation, Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to monsoon floods because of
overflowing rivers and the heavy onrush of water from upstream India.
A Water Development Board official said about 40,000 people
have been affected, mostly with their homes submerged.
North-east India
Officials in north-eastern India said at least 14 people
were killed and over a million affected by flooding. Six deaths were
reported in neighbouring Arunachal state.
Floods and mudslides have also hit some other northeast
Indian states, including Meghalaya, Sikkim and Mizoram.
Earlier this month, the highest rainfall in a decade in
India’s financial capital Mumbai, caused several deaths and severely disrupted
rail, road and air transport services.
Seventy-five villages along river banks in Maharashtra
state, of which Mumbai is the capital, were put on alert on Monday as the water
level of two major dams rose close to overflowing.
Water shortage
Meanwhile, acute water shortage in southern India’s Tamil
Nadu state continues to worsen. Locals continue to stand in queue for
hours to take their daily supply from tankers, and city hospitals are
outsourcing water from private tankers at exorbitant prices, as taps have run
dry.
It is feared that severe water shortage caused by inadequate
and erratic monsoon rains might cripple the twin cities of Hyderabad and
Secunderabad in Telangana state.
Twenty-one other Indian cities are also grappling with acute
water shortage.
The country’s water crisis is a stark reminder of how
climate change is rapidly escalating into a climate emergency affecting the
survival of millions of people.
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