By Hailey Abdilla
India and Nepal have been rocked recently by heavy monsoon rains which caused massive flooding, resulting in the deaths of more than 200 people. These floods destroy homes, crops, and have left many thousands of people displaced. Rural farmers are already reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic which has hit India and Nepal much harder than other countries in the region, and the recent flooding is just another major blow to the economies of both countries. The north Indian province of Uttarakhand has had a devastating 48 confirmed deaths due to flooding and the southern state of Kerala has confirmed 42. Nearby Nepal is also grappling with staggering deaths due to the flash floods, with at least 77 confirmed fatalities as of October 19. Members of the Indian National Disaster Response Force have done their best to evacuate citizens to safer areas of higher ground in order to avoid flooding and landslides but the death toll remains horrifically high with hundreds already dead. On top of the high number of casualties, thousands in remote villages have been left stranded after the flooding destroyed their homes and livelihoods. The monsoon came as a surprise, due to India’s monsoon season typically being between June and September, making a monsoon in mid October quite unlikely. These torrential downpours have destroyed farms which not only affects India’s already fragile economy, but negatively impacts the food supply for a rapidly growing population. Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing and as the death toll continues to rise, the Indian government has been deploying helicopters in search of stranded citizens. To compound the horror of the situation, a Hindu pilgrimage known as the Chardham Yatra was happening in Uttarakhand when the flooding began, unfortunately causing many religious pilgrims to be caught up in the floods as roads were destroyed. With the monsoon rains easing up, the pilgrimage has since resumed but not without major disruptions to cultural and social ongoings in India. These disruptions have been exacerbated by the uptick in natural disasters as the worsening climate creates more and more natural disasters. The destructive flooding across India and Nepal is yet another example of the negative impact climate change is having on society, as natural disasters continue to occur.