There are still  up to 300,000 people stuck in villages where aid has not yet been delivered, according to officials.

 “This has probably not happened in the last hundred years, it’s the worst flooding in three generations,” Jayakumar Christian, national director of World Vision India, tells RFI.

He says that the Indian government was “completely unprepared” for the large scale flooding, but moved in swiftly to provide emergency shelter for those left homeless.

“People have been uprooted, they now have no certainty, and they’ve never experienced flooding such as this in their lifetime,” he says.

On Tuesday state commissioners agreed to release money from the Calamity Relief Fund to deal with the situation. Andhra Pradesh will receive almost 23 million euros-worth of aid and Karnataka will get about 7.5 million euros.

Many residents are still seeking shelter on balconies and rooftops, as rescue efforts continue.

“The victims have not been able to get back to their villages to see the damage to their homes, they’re still in camps. In communities where people are poor they’ve lost everything that they have saved over the years," says Christian.

Members of the army, navy and air force have been deployed for search and rescue operations, they will also help distribute food and drinking water.

Aid workers are concerned that the contamination of water supplies could create health problems and crucial crops have damaged, leading to fears that prices may go up.

Agriculture Minister KV Thomas said on Tuesday that the country might have to import rice to meet its requirements, depending how quickly the waters recede.

Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka had been suffering a severe drought but low pressure from the Bay of Bengal caused sudden heavy rains.

Some weather forecasts indicate that there could be more rain in the next 24 hours.