From Dhaka to Germany: Water, water everywhere, after the flood

The devastating flooding in Western Germany and Belgium took a major toll on lives as it ripped through houses and roads, leaving battered towns that shopowners described as 'unrecognisable'. But it isn't just Europe, as these photos will show, leading to an even urgent question: Are extreme downpours around the world the latest sign of a global warming crisis?

Curated By: Madhu Kapparath

Published: Jul 22, 2021

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New Zealand

A soldier looks out from a helicopter as they fly over the flood damage after heavy rains washed away bridges and cut roads in the Canterbury region, in New Zealand. June 1, 2021

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India

A National Disaster Response Force team carry a woman to safety during a rescue operation in Chikhali village, Kolhapur, in Maharashtra. Over 1.4 lakh people have been evacuated and over 1.5 lakh hectares of farm land and crops are reportedly damaged across the state. July 23, 2021

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Brazil

A resident is vaccinated against Covid-19 in Anama town, Amazon, Brazil, by a healthcare worker who arrived in a boat amid floods in the region. May 20, 2021

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Belgium

Cars piled up by the swirling water at a roundabout in the Belgian city of Verviers, after heavy rains and floods lashed western Europe, killing at least two people in Belgium. July 15, 2021

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China

Village officials evacuate residents from a flooded area following heavy rains in Dazhou in China's southwestern Sichuan province. July 12, 2021

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Austria

Turkish-Austrian Ayse Karaaslan (L) meets with her next door neighbour Alexander Eisenmann, an Austrian who rescued her from the devastating floods in the state of Salzburg, located on the border with Germany, in Vienna, Austria. July 18, 2021.

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Germany

The jerseys of an old men's football team of the local sports club are hung out after being taken out of a flooded cellar in Rhineland-Palatinate, Dernau, in Germany. Numerous houses in the village were completely destroyed or severely damaged. Germany, 19 July 2021

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Afghanistan

Afghan shopkeepers secure sacks of flour stored inside containers amid the debris from a flood at Peshghor village in Afghanistan’s northern Panjshir province, after an incident of flooding believed to be triggered by a landslide. July 3, 2021

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Cuba

A classic American car drives along a flooded street at the 10 de Octubre municipality in Havana, Cuba. June 13, 2021.

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Ukraine

A food delivery person tries to find his way out of a flooded street during a heavy downpour in Kyiv, Ukraine. July 19, 2021

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Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan Army personnel distributes food to flood victims after heavy monsoon rains in Kelaniya, on the outskirts of Colombo. June 6, 2021.

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Germany

Volunteers pack boxes of relief goods for flood victims in the PSD Dome at North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf. The willingness to donate was so great that the Dome got filled early, and the organisers had to turn away further donations due to lack of space. Germany, 18 July 2021

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Bangladesh

Cycle rickshaw pullers wade through a waterlogged street after a heavy downpour in Dhaka. July 4, 2021.

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Netherlands

Locals form a chain to relay sandbags near flooding on the Maas river in Limburg, Netherlands. The flooding has been caused by unusually heavy rain in the hilly parts of Germany and the Ardennes region in Belgium. July 16th, 2021

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Switzerland

Firefighters install a mobile inflatable barrier against floods on the Schwanenplatz square in Luzern, Switzerland. July 15, 2021.

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India

A girl plays in a waterlogged street following heavy monsoon rainfall in Mumbai. In India, monsoon is simply another word for flooding that engulfs parts of Mumbai every year. June 9, 2021.