India: in northeastern states, 400,000 flee from floods

(ANSA) - NEW DELHI, AUGUST 30 - Hundreds of thousands of people in northeastern India have had to seek refuge on the roofs of their homes or in hilly areas, after the incessant rains for a week caused the Brahmaputra and other important rivers to overflow, flooding most of the states of Assam and Bihar. Many villages are submerged by more than two meters of water.

    Today, after 16 cm of water have fallen in the last 24 hours, the Bihar government has decided to authorize the opening of the Valmiki Gandak dam.

    The Bihar authorities estimate that the people forced to seek shelter in the higher areas are already more than 400,000, while another 12,000 have found refuge in emergency camps.

    The flood also hit the Kaziranga nature reserve, in Assam, submerging 70% of the 430 square km of the natural park protected by Unesco, where, together with elephants and eleons, live the last specimens of single-horned rhinos, an indigenous species considered at risk of extinction.

    According to experts, the floods, which occur annually in the region, are increasing significantly in intensity and frequency, due to climate change.

   (HANDLE).