RUSSIA'S government faces growing pressure to install a new emergency warning system and improve weather forecasting after survivors complained that little was done to prevent scores of deaths in floods in the south of the country.
Survivors said no flood warning were issued before a huge wave tore through Krymsk, in the Krasnodar region near the Black Sea, on July 7. Some 171 people died in the floods and many homes were destroyed.
The Russian government has accused district officials of making mistakes in their handling of the flooding, including failing to warn people properly, deflecting blame from President Vladimir Putin.
Hydraulics professor Igor Chistyakov called for more investment in modern weather tracking, establishment of a road monitoring system and a review of the country's safety procedures. Russia's emergencies minister has dismissed accusations of any wrongdoing at the state level and said an investigation will find out who was to blame.
"We too are worried and we will make sure to find out what happened," Vladimir Puchkov said.
Some have suggested a nearby reservoir had its gates opened to save the more populous town of Gelendzhik, something Mr Puchkov denies.
Meanwhile, India's annual monsoon has claimed 109 lives since rains started in June and left at least 400,000 people homeless in the north-eastern state of Assam.
Experts say the tragedy was made worse by corruption and poor management of the Brahmaputra river.
A senior member of the Assam Human Rights Commission, a government body, said it suspects millions of dollars meant for flood control have been siphoned off by state water department officials in the past five years.
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