NEW DELHI, Aug. 4, Reuter: At least 150 people have died and more than one million are marooned in northeastern India since the river Brahmaputra and some smaller tributaries of the Ganges broke their embankments and inundated large areas, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said today.
And while the rivers continue to wreak Havoc in the north east, northern India remains drought hit with water sources drying up and widespread loss of cattle.
The worst affected areas lie in the northwestern desert state of Rajasthan and parts of the central states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
With the monsoon rains more than a month late in some places, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi today set up a Cabinet Committee ion and initiate relief measures.
According to the Central Flood Forecasting Division almost all the major rivers in the eastern region are rising at an alarming rate and are expected to breach embankments causing further inundation. PIT said Assam, West Bengal and Bihar are the worst affected States in eastern India.
More than 500) relief camps have been set up. The army is sending food and’ medical/supplies are being sent to the marooned people and thousands of people are living in wretched conditions, huddled with cattle one high roads and embankments. Fearing epidemics the government has launched a mass inoculation drive.
In neighboring Bangladesh, newspaper reports say the Brahmaputra has already claimed over 200 lives in the past two weeks.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 7, 1987
