The Indian Church has joined the government in relief work after a southwest monsoon became active over a large geographical area and torrential rains wreaked havoc across the South Asian nation. Down in the south, Kerala’s northern Wayanad district was hit by a massive landslide on July 31, killing nearly 407 people and the whereabouts of more than 200 are still unknown. India’s two Himalayan states have witnessed cloudbursts that uprooted as many as 3,500 people and killed 17 in northern Uttarakhand, according to the state-run Press Trust of India. In neighboring Himachal Pradesh, eight people lost their lives, and 45 were declared missing after houses, bridges, and roads were washed away. “The situation in both the states is worrisome.” The rains are hindering the rescue work, Bishop Vincent Nellaiparambil of Bijnor in Uttarakhand state told UCA News on Aug. 6. The Church and its social agencies have joined the state government and others to undertake rescue and relief work,” Nellaiparambil said. We are giving dry rations, medicines, water and clothes, he added. The sole Catholic diocese in Himachal Pradesh is in touch with the government to extend relief and rescue work. Simla-Chandigarh diocese has undertaken a campaign to collect essential items and money to help people in the state, said a senior priest from the Bishops’ House who did not want to be named. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has expressed its condolences to the families of victims in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. In a statement on Aug. 3, the CBCI called on Church-run institutions to support government agencies working in affected areas. On Aug 7, the Indian Meteorological Department forecast the possibility of heavy showers in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The metrology department said the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and northeastern Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya will also witness torrential rains. India gets 70 percent of its annual rainfall in the monsoon, which irrigates farmlands and supplies water to industry in the vast nation. Official rainfall statistics indicate that total rainfall in India jumped from 242mm on July 9 to 305.8mm on July 17. After remaining subdued till the second week of July, the southwest monsoon gathered steam towards the month’s end and is active over a large geographical area of the country. At least 80 percent of the country reported torrential rains last week.