This monsoon season has claimed the lives of more than 718 people so far, India’s Home Ministry said on Friday (10).
According to the ministry’s National Emergency Response Centre, 170 people died in West Bengal, 171 people lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh, the southern state of Kerala recorded 178 deaths and 139 people died in Maharashtra in incidents related to floods and rains.
While Assam recorded 44 deaths and Nagaland eight, the state of Gujarat saw 52 deaths.
A total of 244 people have received injuries in rain-related incidents and among the 26 people missing, 21 one are from Kerala and the rest from West Bengal.
In Kerala, incessant rains have left nearly 54,000 people homeless after rivers overflowed, resulting in sections of highways being collapsed and homes being swept away.
Five columns of Army were deployed in the state’s seven severely-hit northern districts to help evacuate people and to build makeshift bridges. The Indian Navy's southern command was put on alert after water level in Periyar river rose amid concern that parts of Wellingdon Island in Kochi could be inundated.
In Kerala, about 29 people have been killed in monsoon related incidents since August 8, state officials told news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), adding that a total of 53,501 people are now housed in 439 relief camps across the state.
Damian Talbot
Nirmala Sitharaman speaks at the India-UK Investor Roundtable in London last Wednesday (9). On the panel were India’s department of economic affairs secretary Ajay Seth and Kotak Mahindra Bank founder Uday Kotak
Sitharaman with Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves
Sitharaman with Jonathan Reynolds 
Sitharaman with Reynolds, Alastair King, India’s high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and other delegates