GUWAHATI: In the past two weeks, heavy rains have caused devastating floods and landslides in northeast India, resulting in the deaths of at least 16 people and displacing over 300,000 residents from their waterlogged homes, a report said.

The Indian army and air force have been actively involved in rescue operations, particularly in Assam, one of the most affected states. On Tuesday morning, a military helicopter rescued 13 fishermen stranded for four days on a small island in the Brahmaputra River, one of Asia's largest rivers, officials reported.

The Brahmaputra River, which spans 1,280 kilometers (800 miles) across Assam before flowing into Bangladesh, typically floods annually. However, this year’s increased rainfall has made the river, known for its powerful and unpredictable currents, even more dangerous for the over 2,000 island villages situated within it.

In Arunachal Pradesh, a neighboring state that borders China, landslides have destroyed several roads. Army troops in Changlang district successfully evacuated 70 students and teachers from a flooded school, police said. Similarly, the states of Sikkim, Manipur, and Meghalaya have experienced severe flooding, leading to washed-out roads and collapsed bridges.

According to official figures, more than 80 people across six northeastern states have died since the end of May due to floods and landslides caused by the relentless rains.

In Assam, wildlife is also affected. Animals at Kaziranga National Park, home to approximately 2,500 one-horned rhinos, are moving to higher ground to escape the rising waters. Park rangers are closely monitoring their movements to ensure their safety, stated Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Landslides and floods are common in northeast India during the monsoon season from June to September. A 2021 report by the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water, a New Delhi-based climate think tank, identified India, especially Assam, as one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change due to increasingly intense rainfall and floods.

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