The heaviest rains for more than a century in parts of southern India have claimed more than 300 lives and left 1.5 million people homeless.

As the floodwaters recede, the true scale of the devastation is becoming apparent. The rains in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have come just after one of the worst droughts in the country. After the torrential rain, hundreds of hectares of vital food crops have been destroyed.

The landless poor will be the worst affected and tens of thousands will have to rely on emergency rations for months to come. Christian Aid has received reports that Dalit communities, formerly known as untouchables, have been excluded from the official relief effort mounted by the Indian government.

A boy peers into a flooded house.
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Household waste covered in mud, builds up in the street.
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The clear up begins.
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Families work together to clear the mud from their homes.
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