In recent days, large parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh have been hit by massive floods, affecting millions of people and killing dozens.
Large-scale rescue operations are underway, with authorities sending thousands of people to shelters and food and supplies to stranded families.
Major rivers, including the Brahmaputra and the Koshi, flowing through several countries, have burst their banks due to heavy rainfall.
Floods and landslides are not uncommon during the monsoon season in South Asia, which receives 90% of the annual rainfall.
However, experts say the problem has been exacerbated in recent years by climate change.
Over the weekend, authorities in Nepal reported that 14 people have died since Thursday as major highways have been blocked and bridges washed away by high river waters.
Authorities estimate that the monsoon has killed more than 40 people so far this year and have urged residents in the country’s southeast to be on alert as the Koshi River, which flows through Nepal and India, has risen above danger levels.
“This is not new to us, but the timing is wrong,” Kathmandu resident Rajkumar Bk told Reuters news agency.
“The flooding caused by heavy rainfall started early this year, in July. The water level reached our knees. If the rainfall continues like this, we will have to run for our lives.”
In the Indian state of Assam, about 2.4 million people have been affected by flooding and 66 people have died since mid-May. Officials have warned of more rain as water levels in the Brahmaputra are expected to rise in the coming days.
Roads and vast areas of farmland have been flooded along the banks of the Brahmaputra, which flows through parts of India and Bangladesh, and other rivers.
Television footage from the past few days showed villagers rescuing their belongings and evacuating their flooded homes by boat. Several bridges and roads have been washed away, leaving remote villages separated.
The Kaziranga wildlife sanctuary in Assam, home to nearly 2,200 one-horned rhinos, was also inundated. Four rhinos and dozens of deer and other animals have died so far. Experts have said it is one of the worst floods in recent years in terms of the number of animals killed.
On Monday, authorities closed a number of schools in the financial capital Mumbai as heavy rains made several highways impassable.
In Bangladesh, two million people have been affected by floods and at least eight people have died, according to authorities.
The flooding Brahmaputra has inundated a quarter of the country’s districts.
“We have been experiencing flooding here. But this year the water was very high. In three days the Brahmaputra rose by 6 to 8 feet (2 to 2.5 meters),” Abdul Gafur, a local councilor in the district, told AFP news agency.
“We are trying to provide food, mainly rice and edible oil. But there is a drinking water crisis.”
The UN World Meteorological Organization predicts “above normal” rainfall for the monsoon season in South Asia, which is expected to last until September.
