Floods claim 45 lives in India

NEW DELHI: Flooding in eastern India has killed 45 people and displaced more than 300,000 in the past week, a senior official said Monday, adding that water levels were now gradually receding. Residents have been sheltering in relief centres in Orissa since being evacuated from their homes when torrential monsoon rains flooded rivers in mainly northern districts of the state. “As of today, 300 to 400 villages are still marooned with a population of about 310,000 (evacuated people) affected,” said Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra, state deputy relief commissioner. Mohapatra said 45 lives have been lost since the flooding hit last week, with 3.3 million people in total affected. “The IMD (India Meteo­rological Department) is predicting good weather for the next few weeks. So we hope things will go back to normal in a day or two, “he said. Photos and television footage have shown parents and children crammed into trucks as they flee flooded homes and villages. Some, clutching belongings, are seen wading through thigh-deep water to safety, while others are huddled under makeshift tents on roadsides. The hardest-hit regions have been around the Mahanadi and Baitarani rivers which started to burst their banks last Tuesday. Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2014