Authorities in the eastern Indian state of Orissa are struggling to get relief to hundreds of thousands of people who have been stranded after floods submerged their homes, officials said on Monday.
The floods, triggered by India's annual monsoon rains over the last week, have forced 1.5 million from their homes and damaged thousands of acres of paddy crop in the eastern coastal areas of the state.
Around 73 people have died in floods in Orissa in this year's monsoon, which normally begins in June and ends in September. Floods have also killed hundreds of people in western and southern India and left millions homeless.
"We have not been able to reach a few areas, as the roads are inundated. The flood water stands two feet high denying movement of vehicles and boats," said Jagadananda Panda, Orissa's special relief commissioner.
"However we are trying to make food and medicine reach them by getting local people carrying materials on their head." But despite relief efforts, around one million people remained stranded out in the open as the deluge continued.
"We are living under open sky and the rain has added to our woes," said Pratap Mallaick, a villager from Kendrapara district, 80 km (50 miles) east of the state capital Bhubaneswar.
Hundreds of families from the same area are camping on the national highway after their village was submerged by flood waters. "Though we have carried dry food, even our children have to survive on flood water, as all drinking water sources are submerged," said Srimati Dei.
Officials say the floods which have affected 12 of Orissa's 30 districts, have also destroyed 275,000 hectares of mostly rice paddy and damaged over 50,000 thatched houses. In the Himalayan region of Kashmir, floods believed to be the worst in a decade, killed ten people after houses collapsed on Monday.
Landslides triggered by heavy rains have also blocked the 300 km (200 mile) national highway linking Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, with the rest of the country. Many residential areas in Srinagar are flooded and people have been using boats to navigate through the streets.