Deadly Flooding in North-East India

• At least 500 people have died due to flooding in north-east India.
• Standing and polluted water poses a risk for widespread disease outbreak.
• Further rainfall is forecast in the region amid the ongoing monsoon season.

Environmental: Due to the ongoing monsoon season spanning from July to September, adverse weather conditions such as heavy rains, mudslides, landslides, and flash flooding have been reported across India, however, the worst-affected region is the north-east of the country. The approximate death toll continues to rise and has surpassed 500 people.

Flooding has affected widespread rural areas and multiple cities. From 26 July, cities such as Agra, Mainpuri, Muzaffarnagar, Kasganj, Kheri, Raebareli, Lucknow, Kanpur Dehat, Barabanki, Sitapur, Sultanpur, and Delhi have been impacted by flooding. Approximately 10,000 residents of Delhi were evacuated due to rising water levels of the nearby Yamuna River which reached a five-year high as of 31 July.  According to figures from India’s Central Water Commission, the Yamuna River at Delhi Railway Bridge situated in the North district stood at 20.60 metres as of 18:00 local time on 31 July, well above the danger level of 20.44 metres. Previously, the highest level reached at this location is 20.74 metres, a record set in September 1978.

The number of deaths is likely to rise in the following weeks, such an event is likely to cause an array of human, environmental, and health risks to the region. Further rain is likely to worsen flooding and cause rivers to burst their banks, which may isolate communities and severely affect transiting the region. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 43 teams to help regional emergency workers in the affected areas; the success of rescue operations may be limited due to a lack of resources and capabilities.

Flooding also offers human and health factors that pose a risk to residents and travellers. A mass migration of persons may also pose a risk due to an increased level of opportunistic crime in nearby cities. Standing water promotes the spread of water- and mosquito-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and malaria. Alternatively, flooding is likely to have flooded sewage systems, polluting the waters and increase the presence of disease-bearing rodents. To amplify such a hazard, many health centres have halted operations due to the flooding, in one incident, flooding brought both water and fish into the intensive care unit of the Nalanda Medical College Hospital in the city of Patna in Bihar. It is likely that the situation will become more dangerous due to more rainfall forecast in the following days and the extensive clearing operations when flood waters recede that requires sanitary disposal of waste, which may not be available or be difficult to come by.