1 Killed, 165,000 Affected in Assam Floods

Lives lost in India floods. At least 13 people succumbed as heavy monsoon rains in northern and eastern India on Friday, September 10 swept through the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Punjab, Haryana and the region of Delhi. In the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, a massive landslide claimed the lives of eight people, while several homes were swept away in the Upper Siang district, which was isolated due to road blockages. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu stated that financial assistance would be offered to all the bereaved families and the injured as the government works to carry out restoration operations. In Assam state, three days of incessant rains triggered flash floods, affecting 165,000 people. In the worst-hit districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji, alerts were sounded as the National Disaster Response Force evacuated the vulnerable. Floodwaters from swollen rivers inundated at least 152 villages, forcing residents to flee to safer places, as large regions of the Kaziranga National Park were also submerged. Flooding also affected Punjab and Haryana states as the Yamuna River swelled to alarming levels, and several breaches emerged in its embankments. In Yamunanagar and Panipat districts, 120 villages were severely affected, with hundreds forced to evacuate and scores of other villages also impacted. The rising Yamuna River in the capital of Delhi also prompted the evacuation of over 4,000 residents of low-lying areas on Saturday. Supreme Master Ching Hai requested that our Association members please check with regional governments and see if any assistance is needed, and to go and offer help if possible to those most desperately in need, saying that funds are available as necessary. Our appreciation, Indian state governments and emergency teams, for your initiatives to help the flood victims, as we also thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for her sincere concern. With Heaven’s grace, may such weather extremities subside as we strive for gentler and more eco-stabilizing ways�