El Nino wreaking havoc across Asia

A landslide caused by torrential rain was a killer in South Korea

BEIJING, China -- More than 70 people have been killed by floods in China this week as heavy rains cause havoc across many parts of Asia and the region braces for the onset of an el Nino weather pattern.

The extreme conditions look set to continue with other parts of Asia -- particularly India, northern China and Australia -- hit by equally devastating droughts.

The el Nino weather system refers to an above-average warming of water in the eastern Pacific that occurs every four to five years and distorts wind and rainfall patterns, leading to floods and droughts.

The last El Nino -- or "little boy" in Spanish -- in 1997-98 is believed to be responsible for the loss of around 24,000 lives.

RESOURCES Gallery: Monsoon monster    EXTRA INFORMATION IN-DEPTH: Typhoon Watch     CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

Earlier this month floods destroyed huge areas of eastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Now China and the Koreas are feeling the brunt of the hostile weather.

Parts of central China's Hunan Province have been the hardest hit so far with landslides and flooding affecting more than 3.5 million people and soaking 2.3 million hectares of farmland.

Over 86 percent of the people affected by the flood have been saved while rescuers are doing their utmost to help the remaining people, the China Daily says.

More rain

So far this year, around 900 people in China have been killed in seasonal floods, Reuters reports.

In South Korea the death toll has hit 14 after a week of deluges dumped two-fifths of the average annual rainfall on the country, triggering flash floods and landslides.

On Saturday, four people were killed and seven injured in the southern port city of Pusan after a landslide engulfed a four-storey building housing 250 disabled people.

The presidential Blue House said South Korea had mobilized 32,000 soldiers and 460 units with rescue gear to reduce damage, as forecasters said more rain was expected, Reuters says.

North Korea has also reported torrential rains that caused casualties and destroyed crops in the food-short communist state.

The southern continent of Australia meanwhile is experiencing a prolonged winter drought.

Erratic monsoon

Disease is a major killer in flood conditions in much of south Asia

Farmers in the eastern state of New South Wales have now gone months without substantial rain, slashing the yields of wheat crops and forcing livestock to be slaughtered.

The 2002/03 wheat crop forecast in Australia -- bread-basket for Asia and much of the Middle East -- has shrunk to 17 million tonnes from March estimates of 24 million tonnes.

India, meanwhile, is suffering from an erratic monsoon, the lifeblood of its economy. A combination of floods and droughts across the country is wreaking havoc.

The impact on the enormous Indian agricultural sector is already immense, with a significant flow-on effect expected for the country's economy.

Over 700 people have died because of floods, disease and landslides and millions have been left homeless in eastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh since mid-July when heavy monsoon rains began, Reuters says.

Scientists warn that what happens in India is often a precursor to what is likely to occur in Southeast Asia.