RTWed, 30 Aug 2017 15:25 UTC
© Punit Paranjpe / AFPIndians wade through a flooded street during heavy rain showers in Mumbai on August 29, 2017
Vast areas of land across all three countries are underwater, according to the
Red Cross. "Rainwater from the Himalayas is travelling down through Nepal's lower-lying areas, through swollen rivers in north-east India and eventually through the floodplains of Bangladesh," it said in a statement.
© Anuwar Hazarika / ReutersA man casts his fishing net in the flood waters next to his partially submerged hut in Morigaon district in the northeastern state of Assam, India August 17, 2017
, according to the
UN. The country is struggling to deal with heavier-than-usual monsoon rains, with more than 600 deaths caused by downpours.
Floods in Mumbai have prompted locals to open their homes to those stranded, using the hashtag "Rainhost."
The Mumbai monsoon rains are reported to be the city's heaviest since 2005.
In Bangladesh 114 people have been killed and nearly 7 million affected.
© Mohammad Ponir Hossain / ReutersWomen carry children as they make their way through a flooded area in Bogra, Bangladesh, August 20, 2017
The heavy rains began in mid-August, with more downpours forecast for the coming days. Video and images uploaded to social media from the Chitwan District in Nepal show flooded roads from mid-August.
As the rains continued into late August the situation grew worse, with 143 people killed in Nepal and nearly half a million displaced.
Comment: (Update - Sept. 2): The death toll is now
at least 1,400 across India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Hundreds of towns and villages have been submerged by the devastating floods which have now persisted for over two months, affecting an estimated 40 million people.
Tens of thousands of people have taken refuge in relief camps that are short of food and vulnerable to disease.
...
The devastating flooding has sparked anger across the affected areas but authorities have tried to distance themselves from culpability by highlighting the scale of this year's deluge.
"If you get a whole year's rain in one to two days, how will you handle it? No preparation and planning will work," said Anirudh Kumar, of the disaster management department in the Indian state of Bihar.
© Cathal McNaughton / ReutersA woman wades through a flooded village in the eastern state of Bihar, India August 22, 2017.
Comment: (Update - Sept. 2): The death toll is now at least 1,400 across India, Nepal and Bangladesh.