Floods inundate Jalaun, Varanasi, victims cry for help

Continuous rainfall brought a deluge in Jalaun District in Uttar Pradesh as the river swelled and its water washed away dozens of villages.

Residents were seen wading through the waterlogged streets and market places, as the entire area was submerged in floodwater.

Lack of official aid added to the anguish of villagers and school children who were dependent on each other rather than help from the government or local administration.

"The government has not helped us at all. We have been rescued by villagers, but the government has not helped us. The school is totally submerged in water, however we are safe now," said a school student, Poonam Rathore.

Meanwhile, Bhojpuri film star Manoj Tiwari, who was visiting Varanasi, said he was saddened by the devastation and hoped for normalcy to return.

India experiences monsoons from June to September, vital for its agriculture. But the rains frequently affect millions of people, devastating crops and homes and sparking outbreaks of diseases such as diarrhoea and dysentery.

Flood water can be detrimental to standing crops if it stagnates, otherwise heavy rains do not necessarily cause major damage to the planted crops.

Experts say decades of mass deforestation in many flood-prone areas have led to soil erosion where sediment is washed downstream, ending up in rivers where it builds up on the river bed and raises the levels of water far higher than normal.