Powerful rain and floods devastate northern India

NEW DELHI

Relentless monsoon rains have unleashed some of the worst flooding and landslides in decades across northern India, killing at least 90 people and displacing hundreds of thousands in recent weeks, government officials said.

India’s Himalayan Mountain states and territories such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Punjab state, are among the worst affected. India’s capital city, New Delhi, and nearby regions have been hit by rising rivers and heavy rain. Thousands have been moved to safer ground as city officials said the Yamuna River in the city has breached danger levels.

In Punjab state, which is home to more than 30 million people and one of India’s key agricultural regions, farmers said crops and livestock have been destroyed. State government officials said at least 30 people have died and 300,000 impacted by heavy rains and floods.

Climate change is likely a key reason for the monsoon’s unpredictability, which has led to the heavy rains in August and these conditions are expected to persist for the next few weeks, according to experts.

In neighboring Pakistan, officials said more than 1 million people have been evacuated from flood-prone regions and 2.4 million people have experienced monsoon flooding in recent months.