While Hurricane Harvey slammed Texas over the weekend, floods that were created by a monsoon had reportedly killed an estimated 1,200 people and stranded millions of others across South Asia. This flooding included India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. International Red Cross and other organizations that provide Humanitarian Aid for the area have already been activated and working to get assistance to those in need. One report by Reuters titled: "Worst monsoon floods in years kill more than 1,200 across South Asia," reported on the effects of the monsoon, saying that the flooding is the worst reported in years.
New Delhi under risk of more flooding
It's been reported that all three countries usually get flooded during monsoon season between June and September. But the flooding from the monsoon has left more stranded and dead than ever before. Officials reported that thousands of people no longer have access to clean water or food. At least one person in the Reuters report said that they couldn't find a patch of dry land anywhere. One of the areas that were hit especially hard was New Delhi, where the need for aid is overwhelming the lack of services available.
The aid provided across South Asia is a sharp contrast to the aid provided in Texas from the devastation created by Hurricane Harvey. With regards to that storm, people there had a better chance to leave before it hit.
But those services providing humanitarian aid have to travel by boat or by air into some areas that have been blocked off by landslides. The constant rainfall has only created more floods over the past month and never let up the give the waters a chance to recede. One federal interior ministry official for New Delhi named Rajan Kumar said that any more floods would lead to widespread destruction.
This is while weather services say that they expect more rainfall in the area in the coming days.
Death-toll and the stranded
Kumar said that at least 850 people had been killed across six states in New Delhi. One report from Bihrar referred to a death toll of 440 as of this writing. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly conducted a survey over the Araria, Kisanganj, Katihar and Purnea districts for which he said he would provide Rs500 crore's worth (over 79 million USD) of relief.
Army personnel and members of the National Disaster Response Force have been working to reach others people trapped by the floods. There have been some reports over the weekend, however, that that flood waters had finally started receding in some areas and that people had started returning to those areas. Modi also said he would provide financial help for every family that lost loved ones to the floods.
As mentioned, with floods come landslides which have blocked off many of those areas, but New Delhi officials also said on Friday that the number of reported casualties had diminished significantly. However, as more rains are expected to come through the region in the coming days, it is certain that there will be more flooding.
Specifically, areas that had already been affected by rainfall such as Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat will be hit again according to reports. The reports also estimate that more rains will fall across the western parts of Madhya Pradesh, into north Maharashtra, and southern and eastern Gujarat. The rainfall will be a gamble for those residents as the rainfall is expected to remain there for no more than 24 hours before it moves on elsewhere. Many are hoping that there won't be enough rain to create more floods.