- Landslides Strand Hundreds of Trucks in Manipur
- Climate Change and Construction Amplify Flash Floods and Landslides
- Devastation Across Northern India: Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand Affected
Hundreds of trucks transporting fuel and essential supplies to the state of Manipur have been stranded by landslides in India, police said Thursday, after heavy rains caused devastation that killed at least 84 people.
In addition to frequent flash floods and landslides in neighboring Pakistan and Nepal, climate change-attributed torrential rainfall and unabated construction in the mountainous Himalayan region have caused frequent flash floods and landslides in recent years.
Rocks and debris engulfed a portion of a highway near Imphal, the capital of Manipur, as a result of Wednesday’s rains, stranding 400 trucks, according to the police, who added that persistent rain hindered efforts to clear the road.
The state is attempting to restore calm after deadly ethnic violence broke out in May, killing at least 180 people and displacing tens of thousands.
Hundreds of structures have collapsed this week in landslides in the northwestern state of Himachal Pradesh, killing at least 68 people and leaving about 15 others missing, according to a disaster management official.
The state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, told the newspaper Indian Express that haphazard construction and improper structural design were among the causes of the destruction.
According to government statistics, at least 16 people perished in landslides in the neighboring state of Uttarakhand this week, and 15 people were still missing as of Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the monsoon season on June 1, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have received monsoon rains that are 45 percent and 18 percent above average, respectively, according to meteorologists. This is in addition to the monsoon rains that brought significant amounts last month.
According to official data, at least 88 people perished in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh last month, while 74 perished in events triggered by natural disasters in Uttarakhand since June.
