India: 11 dead and over 600,000 affected in Assam floods

Massive floods have been wreaking havoc in the Indian state of Assam with at least eleven people having lost their lives in various flood-related incidents so far.

More than 600,000 have been displaced in the state after rains triggered landslides and flash floods. Several parts of Assam have been witnessing non-stop rainfall for the last four days. The rains have inundated 1,500 villages across the state.

India's weather forecasters have said that the situation is unlikely to get better before Friday. The floods have destroyed roads, bridges and railway tracks, making it difficult for disaster management authorities to reach flood-affected areas.

"The rail link will take around 45 days to be restored, while road connectivity will be up and running in the next two-three days," said state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The state has also released financial assistance for the flood-hit districts.

The worst-hit district has been Nagaon with around 288,000 affected people, followed by 119,000 people in Cachar, 107,000 in Hojai, 60,562 in Darrang, 27,282 in Biswanath, and 19,755 in Udalguri district, according to NDTV.

the Indian Air Force, Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and the Fire and Emergency Services team have all been roped in to help in rescue operations in flood-affected areas.

The Assam floods have even created a fuel shortage in states like Tripura and Mizoram with the state governments ordering the rationing of fuel. Local media reports suggest that the water level in the Brahmaputra River, which flows from China down to India, is expected to further rise till the end of this week.

This is not the first time that Assam has been struck by a tragedy. These floods have become an annual phenomenon. Hundreds die every year in floods and landslides in the region, per The Independent.

While Assam has been hit by floods and torrential rains, the northern states of India have been hit by an intense heat wave. The mercury touched 50 in some parts of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, and the situation is not expected to get better anytime soon.