In Pictures

In Pictures: 2012 Asian Monsoon

Causing devastating floods in India’s Assam and Bangladesh, and drought fears in other areas.

Flooding hits Japan — A Japanese worker stands among the debris of a landslide after torrential rainfall in Aso City, Kumamoto prefecture on July 17.

Japan, China, India and Bangladesh have all been badly hit by flooding in the past few weeks, thanks to the East Asian Monsoon and the Indian Southwest Monsoon.

Both monsoons usually bring some flooding, but this year the East Asian Monsoon has been very active. China and Japan have suffered badly. In Japan, some parts of the island of Kyushu reported over 500mm of rain in 24 hours, which according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, was the heaviest rain that the region has ever experienced.

For the majority of India, the monsoon has been more than 20 per cent below average. Many farmers are concerned that if the rains don’t pick up soon, their crops will be ruined.

However, the monsoon over India is actually two different branches: one over the northeast and Bangladesh, and the other covers the rest of India. So whilst the monsoon over the bulk of India is below average, the rain over the northeast and Bangladesh has been torrential.

Widespread flooding has occurred across the northeastern states of Assam and West Bengal, as well as Bangladesh, and the rains continue to fall.

More flooding is inevitable before the monsoons retreat in September.

Kyushu is the worst hit — A huge clean-up operation is underway after record rainfall forced hundreds of thousands to flee and left at least 32 dead or missing.

China has also been suffering this year — The rains have also caused widespread flooding in China.

The Yangtze River burst its banks — The Yangtze River overflows near the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province.

Floods also hit northeast India — The monsoon rains over India have been alarmingly below average this year, except for the northeastern states, which constitutes a separate branch of the monsoon.

Floods in Morigaon district of Assam state. — In the northeast, the mighty Brahmaputra river and its tributaries burst their banks, inundating many areas of India(***)s Assam state.

Bangladesh has also been flooded — Local organizations in Sylhet, Bangladesh, distribute precious bags of food to the flood victims.

Fog shrouds the northern hill town of Shimla — Away from the northeast, other parts of India have endured feeble rains so far this year, as the western monsoon has been weak.

Indian labourer Sanker, 16, plants paddy — The southwest monsoon is described as the "economic lifeline" of India, which is one of the world(***)s leading producers of rice, sugar, wheat and cotton.

The annual Hindu festival of Bonalu honours the Goddess Kali. Devotees believe offerings of food will ward off evils and epidemics during the monsoon season.

Praying for rain — In the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, locals take part in a prayer ritual believed to bring rain outside the Hindu Lord Shiva temple.