At least 18 people dead as monsoon causes havoc across north India

Incessant rain has lashed parts of northern India, forcing schools to close in several cities as an unusually late rainy season prolonged havoc across the country and killed at least 18 people yesterday, Monday.

The state-run Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said heavy rainfall was expected for the northern states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan until Tuesday.

Some environmentalists suspect climate change is behind the unusually wet weather.

Parts of northwest India got 1,293 percent more rainfall than normal on Sunday, with Uttar Pradesh receiving as much as 22.5mm, the IMD said.

The heavy rainfall has also damaged key summer-sown crops such as rice, soybean, cotton, pulses and vegetables just before harvesting, which could stoke food inflation in Asia’s third biggest economy, farmers, traders and industry officials said.

Neighbouring Pakistan has also been hit by unprecedented flooding and the government there blames climate change for unusually heavy rain and for accelerating the melting of Himalayan glaciers.