Indian Air Force helicopter rescue, West Bengal, India, 03 August 2021.
© IAFIndian Air Force helicopter rescue, West Bengal, India, 03 August 2021.
Air Force helicopters and rescue teams from the Indian Army were deployed to flooded areas in the state of West Bengal in eastern India on 02 August 2021.

As of 03 August, 14 people have died and nearly 250,000 displaced by floods across the districts of Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly, Howrah and South 24 Parganas.

News agency Press Trust of India (PTI), quoting local officials, said the flooding was a result of heavy rainfall and discharge of water from dams.

The rainfall was particularly pronounced on 29 July when Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district recorded 218 mm of rain, Midnapore 134 mm and Kolkata 146 mm.




India's Central Water Commission said the Mundeswari River in Hooghly District and the Ganges at Farakka Barrage in Murshidabad district were both flowing above normal levels, as of 03 August.

Teams from the Indian Air Force were called on to rescue dozens of people who had taken refuge on rooftops in flooded areas of Paschim Medinipur and Hooghly districts. Meanwhile the Army used boats to rescue people marooned in Dhanyaghari in Hooghly. Fourteen teams from India's National Disaster Response Force have also been deployed to affected areas.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced she will conduct an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Howrah and Hooghly on 04 August.