Worst floods to hit South Asia in decade expose lack of monsoon planning

A 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. REUTERS/Anuwar Hazarika

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The most devastating floods to hit South Asia in a decade have killed more than 1,400 people and focussed attention on the poor planning and lack of preparedness for annual monsoon rains, as authorities struggle to get aid to millions of destitute.

Floods in Texas have dominated world media coverage in recent days, but India, Nepal and Bangladesh have suffered flooding for two months, with hundreds of villages submerged and tens of thousands of people in relief camps short of food and vulnerable to disease.