A special 50-wagon train carrying 2.5 million litres of water arrived in the Indian city of Chennai Friday, as the southern hub reels under one of its worst shortages in decades.

The wagons were hauled by a special locomotive, decorated with flowers and with a "Drinking Water for Chennai" banner on its front.

Four special trains a day have been called up to bring water to Chennai -- India's sixth most populous city -- from Vellore, some 80 miles (125 kilometres) away, to help battle the drought.

The first consignment will be taken to a water treatment centre, and then distributed in trucks to different parts of the metropolis on Saturday.

Chennai has seen only a fraction of the rain it usually receives during June and July.

The city of 4.9 million people also needed trains to bring water in when it suffered a similar crisis in 2001.

The bustling capital of Tamil Nadu state normally requires at least 825 million litres of water a day, but authorities are currently only able to supply 60 percent of that.

With temperatures regularly hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), reservoirs have run dry and other water sources are dwindling further each day.

The Chennai metro has turned off its air conditioning, farmers have been forced to stop watering their crops, and offices have asked staff to work from home.

The city's economy has also taken a hit as some hotels and restaurants shut shop temporarily, and there have been reports of fights breaking out as people queue for water.

Monsoon rains kill 17 in Nepal, 11 in India
New Delhi (AFP) July 12, 2019 - At least 17 people have been killed across Nepal after torrential monsoon rains induced floods and landslides, officials said Friday.

In neighbouring northeastern India the death toll rose to 11, with six dead in Assam and another five in Arunachal Pradesh, officials said.

Heavy rains since Thursday have hit several districts in Nepal, especially in the country's eastern region and the southern plains.

According to figures released by Nepal's police, a further seven people have been injured and seven others reported missing.

Three were killed when a wall collapsed in the capital Kathmandu.

"Local authorities and our security officials are all working to rescue people and bring them to safety. Helicopters are on standby if needed," Home Ministry official Umakanta Adhikari told AFP.

Nepal's weather department warned Thursday that heavy rains were expected to continue for two days, and advised people to stay alert.

Nearly 150 people died last year in Nepal during the rainy season, which typically begins in late June and lasts until the end of August.

In the northeastern Indian state of Assam monsoon floods have now inundated 21 districts, affecting thousands, officials said Friday.

In Bangladesh aid groups were providing rations to Rohingya refugees in the southeast of the country with the UN World Food Programme saying Friday that two people including a child had died.

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Monsoon rains soak India's financial capital
Mumbai (AFP) July 1, 2019
Heavy rains flooded parts of India's financial capital of Mumbai on Monday, as the country's four-month summer monsoon swung into full force. Children were seen wading through waist-high waters as they made their way to school, while some motorists were forced to get out and push their vehicles through low-lying streets. Trains on Mumbai's colonial-era rail network, a lifeline for the city's 20 million residents, were delayed due to waterlogged tracks, and traffic moved even more slowly than usu ... read more