Floods wreak havoc in India

Water inundated swathes of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra states [AFP]

Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes [AFP]

India's worst floods in a centuary have left close to 1.5 million people homeless [AFP]

Air force helicopters dropped food and drinking water to those marooned [AFP]

Pools of stagnant water, left behind after the floods, have raised fears of disease [AFP]

Some have begun to return home as flood waters recede in north Karnataka [AFP]

But many remain in relief camps, where facilities are poor and conditions are crowded [AFP]