(Updates Afghanistan entry)
By Matt Hirschler
LONDON (AlertNet) - Severe flooding around the world this year has caused widespread devastation, with many regions experiencing the worst torrential rain and storms in a generation.
Pakistan has been hit by the worst flooding in its history. More than 1,000 have been killed and thousands are trapped in homes and on rooftops. Click here for more information on Pakistan floods.
And here are details of other major floods:
SUDAN
A heavy rainy season in many regions of Sudan has caused severe flooding that has displaced more than 10,000 people and killed at least 16, as well as destroying harvests and livestock, according to officials and charities working in the region.
On Aug. 1 the Sudanese Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs predicted that floods would continue as heavy rain is due to sweep across eastern, western and central states in the next three days.
The most serious incident to date was reported on July 20 by the United Nations. Thirteen people were killed and 11 were reported missing when floodwater swept down an empty river bed near Agig village in Sudan's eastern Red Sea state after a week of heavy rain.
Jonglei has been one of the worst-affected states in the country. The government South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission reported that seven out of Jonglei's 11 counties have suffered severe flooding. Across the country, 18 out of Sudan's 25 states have been experiencing moderate to severe flooding this year.
The commission said the full extent of the damage may not be discovered until the water subsides as many of the affected regions are inaccessible during the rainy season.
Aid agencies said in a report compiled by the World Food Programme (WFP) and others that there was an urgent need for tents, sleeping materials, food and clean drinking water for those displaced by flooding.
Reports from northern Darfur by Radio Dabanga, an independent Darfuri station, said that many people were left out in the open with no tents, food or treatment after flooding destroyed their homes.
The report compiled by the WFP warned that flooding was set to continue during the next month.
"It is expected that these floods will continue until early September based on the frequency of the rains," it predicted, "which means there will be more displacement and ruining of the harvest."
Despite the heavy rains the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that Sudan still faces the long-term threat of drought after a poor rainy season in 2009.
"The rainy season is cyclical and we don't know what the levels of rains are going to be. But the drought issue remains a long-term problem," an OCHA spokesman said.
DR CONGO
After heavy rains in July, flooding devastated the area of Basunkusu in the northwestern Equateur Province, destroying some 300 homes and leaving 1,500 homeless, according to the United Nations.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA) said people urgently need shelter, food, clean water and medical care as basic facilities such as latrines have been damaged, causing water contamination and triggering the risk of epidemic diseases.
"The needs are significant and we must ensure that an appropriate response is swiftly provided," said Fidele Sarassoro, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Congo.
Aid workers also fear the situation could worsen, largely because of the poor conditions of most dwellings.
In an area where 80 percent of the population depends on agriculture, the destruction of fields and farmed land will also pose a significant threat to people's lives and livelihoods.
AFGHANISTAN
Floods caused by the same weather responsible for Pakistan's devastating monsoon have killed 80 in central and eastern provinces in Afghanistan too, according to officials.
Heavy monsoon rain triggered flooding in Afghanistan's east and northeast. Officials said that the floods are the worst that the regions have experienced in 80 years.
Afghan officials estimate that more than 4,000 houses have been destroyed in the floods. A government assessment at the weekend found that livestock and farmland were washed away and important canals and bridges were destroyed.
In the northern Balkh province up to 100 displaced families have been forced to set up a makeshift camp west of Mazar-e-Sharrif, the provincial capital.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said that with the help of Afghanistan's fledging air force it had rescued over 2,000 Afghans from the floods. However, officials said impassable roads and the threat of insurgent attacks were hampering relief efforts.
U.N. agencies started distributing aid in the region early this week, including water purification kits. The agencies said that a major priority for the relief effort should be the prevention of water-borne diseases.
Floods have claimed over 300 lives in 19 of the 34 provinces since March, according to officials.
CHINA
Nearly 1,000 people have been killed and over 400 are missing after the worst torrential rain and storms in southern China in 30 years, according to state media.
In total 120 million people have had their lives disrupted in some way.
Flooding and landslides have been the biggest problem in the region since storms started in May, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies (IFRC) says that this is set to continue as China prepares to face the rest of the typhoon season.
The IFRC says the Chinese government estimates that over 7 million hectares of farmland and 645,000 houses have been destroyed by flooding.
"People have to cross their fields by boat to retrieve belongings from their homes," said Qinghui Gu, IFRC's disaster management coordinator. "Many were taken by surprise by the intensity and speed of the flooding."
State media reported on July 29 that nearly 4 million had their water supplies cut after flood waters washed more than 4,000 barrels of explosive chemicals into a major river in the northern Jilin province. State media later confirmed that water supplies had been restored.
IFRC say the Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric project in the world, has protected many in southwest China from flooding - but not landslides - this year. One of the dam's main purposes is to protect people against the yearly floods along the Yangtze plains.
However, a state-run paper on July 23 quoted officials as saying that the dam could not cope with flood waters rushing through it at more than 122,000 cubic metres a second. This year the speed of flood waters passing the dam peaked at 70,000 cubic metres a second, but future floods could be more severe as a result of climate change, it said.
China has responded to fears that this year's floods would be as destructive as the 1998 Yangtze floods, in which 4,000 people died, saying that it was now better prepared.
The government issued warnings in late July ahead of tropical storm Chanthu. The IFRC said these warnings meant people stayed inside and there were fewer casualties.
Meanwhile, the IFRC reports that the Red Cross is carrying out extensive relief work across affected provinces. The Red Cross has distributed emergency supplies such as tents, quilts, rice and drinking water in these areas.
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