At least 82 individuals have perished due to intense rainfall sweeping across northeastern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan this week, with widespread damage reported to agricultural land, infrastructure, and public facilities.
In India's northeastern state of Assam, floods claimed the lives of 10 people in the preceding 24 hours, contributing to a total of 36 fatalities for the week. Authorities described the situation as "unprecedented devastation." More than 650,000 residents have been impacted across 11 districts of Assam, according to a bulletin from the state's disaster management authority.
The severe flooding in Assam was primarily triggered by extremely heavy rainfall in the neighboring state of Nagaland between July 18 and 20, leading to unusually high river levels, a state government report indicated. Assam, situated along the Brahmaputra River, a major global waterway, frequently experiences damage from increased water flow during the monsoon season.
Concurrently, floods across Afghanistan's northeastern Nuristan province and Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have resulted in at least 46 deaths and over 100 injuries in the last 72 hours, according to disaster management officials in both nations. "The floods swept away houses and hotels. Everything is gone. It is complete devastation. Machinery is being used to rescue those who are still trapped," a resident of Nuristan's provincial capital stated.
Experts highlight that Afghanistan and Pakistan, despite minimal contributions to global emissions, are among the countries most susceptible to climate change. Intensifying floods, droughts, glacial melt, and water scarcity pose significant risks to millions in these regions.
