Heavy monsoon rains have swelled mighty Himalayan rivers,
which broke their banks in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand.
The waters have ravaged 500,000 hectares of farmland in
Uttar Pradesh, the top cane growing state, prompting the government to cut by
around a tenth its sugar output projections for the harvest season beginning in
October.
People waded through chest deep water, traveled on bullock
carts or on boats to reach safer areas, carrying children and household belongings
in their hands and on their heads. In relief camps, they complained of a lack
of food and medicines.
In Uttarakhand, where the army was called in after the Hindu
holy river Ganges rose to near the danger level by the sacred town of Haridwar,
500,000 people were affected by the floods, said Mahendra Negi, a disaster
management center official.
"They (army) are actively providing medicines, shifting
people to safer grounds and conducting repairs of small stretches of
roads," said Col. S. Om Singh, the army spokesman.
On Tuesday Sonia Gandhi, the powerful chief of the ruling
Congress Party, flew over the submerged districts and asked Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to offer liberal financial aid to the affected states, the party
said in a statement.
UNICEF said 1.7 million people have been affected in Uttar
Pradesh and 1 million in Bihar. Both are poor states and Uttar Pradesh is also
the most populous with 190 million citizens. More than 300,000 people were
forced out of their homes.
"It is quite concerning. The number of affected people
(in Uttar Pradesh) could rise to 2 million. This flood is worse than 2007
floods," Amit Mehrotra, UNICEF Emergency Programs Officer in the state,
told Reuters.
Sugar industry officials said the floods would not alter the
supply scene in India, the world's top consumer and second-largest producer of
the sweetener, as the production loss would be made up by other states and by
stocks in warehouses.
In Bihar, where the Gandak river burst through its
embankments in various places and flooded villages, houses were invaded by
stray dogs, snakes and scorpions.
"They are perched atop almirahs, in closets, in the
kitchens and even in mud utensils. It's hell," 45-year-old Rupdeo Mahto
told reporters in the flood-hit Gopalganj district.
Floods in India affect more than 40 million people each year
on average, causing losses of $575 million and damaging crops in 3.7 million
hectares. But the June-September monsoon is also vital to the country's farm
output and economic growth.
The Ganges, a dip in which Hindus believe washes away sins,
and its tributary rivers have risen to close to their record-high levels and
weather officials have forecast more heavy rain.
As floods remain a matter of concern in Bihar, which goes to
the polls next month to elect a new assembly, the election commission of India
is considering relocating some polling stations or setting up mobile ones for
voters.
India's monsoon may not start withdrawing this week and with
the weather department predicting more rain, state governments have been asked
to gear up to cope with risk of heavy flooding.
