The several days of heavy rain earlier caused flooding across northeast India.

I caught a hint of it trying to walk several blocks down to Shipra Mall. I almost could not make it on foot because of the lack of dry pavement. The cars, rickshaws and people were all sharing the not-flooded edge of one street. I almost hailed a rickshaw. I’m thinking the suddenness and severity of the several days of rain is part of why the streets got flooded so badly, but the sewers may also have been clogged with the garbage I often see on the side of the street. (And likely the sewers were built before this city grew to its current gargantuan population.)

The Yamuna River that runs through Delhi is at the highest levels it has been at in thirty years. There is a pretty significant flood plain, though, so only the people who live there are displaced.

The biggest news comes from further up in the mountains along the Ganges.

Rishikesh, where I was at just a couple weeks ago, is seriously flooded. Towns further upriver have been completely destroyed.

Rishikesh photo from the news

From 18 June, the Times of India writes:

“NEW DELHI: While the entire country is happily bathing in early monsoon showers, now at 40% in excess for the time of the year, torrential downpours have sent mounds of earth crashing into homes, toppled trees and buildings and overflowing rivers have swallowed vast swathes of north India, leaving at least 50 people dead and thousands homeless in the muddy aftermath. Nearly 20,000 people are still trapped in various places because of landslides and wrecked roads and bridges.”

That is the major thing on the news right now. And more rain is in the forecast. (Though Delhi has not seen much rain since the first few downpours.)