Parts of India are bracing for more torrential rain, raising the risk of further causalities after natural calamities such as floods and lightning killed 2,000 people during the current monsoon season.
Rains have affected about 500,000 hectares (1.24 million acres) of crops and damaged almost 90,000 houses since the start of the monsoon in early June, according to data compiled by the Home Ministry. Around 60,000 animals have also died, the figures show.
The June-September monsoon that irrigates about half of the country's farm land is vital for the country's food production and economic growth, but also causes widespread damage and destruction.
The weather office said that climate change is making the annual weather pattern more volatile, increasing the chance of both flooding and droughts.
Extreme weather hit the wheat crop last year and is threatening sugar output in 2023-24, prompting the government to take several measures to soften soaring food prices.
The Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is gearing up for elections early next year, has curbed exports of wheat, rice and sugar, and is selling grains from state reserves.
Further precipitation could also impact standing rice crops, which will be harvested in October.
Several states, including Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, are set to be lashed by heavy rains in the coming days, according to the India Meteorological Department, or IMD. The risk of flash floods in some areas has also increased, it said on Friday.
Himachal Pradesh is bearing the brunt of extreme weather, with the death count rising to over 330 since the start of the monsoon. Some 500 people, who were stranded when a dam opened its gates on Monday night to avoid damage to its structure, were rescued by Air Force helicopters and other teams working in the area, according to the Home Ministry.
The Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued about 300 people on Thursday from flood-hit villages of Punjab, news agency PTI reported.
Parts of Delhi and Mumbai were also flooded last month due to heavy rains for several days.
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