HEAVY rains that caused landslides killing hundreds of people in southern India last month were made worse by man-made climate change, an analysis by scientists has revealed.

The study by the World Weather Attribution, published on Tuesday, found that the 5.91 inches of rain that fell in 24 hours on July 29-30 was 10 per cent more intense because of global warming.

The group of scientists expects that further emissions of planet-heating gases will result in increasingly frequent intense downpours, increasing the chances of further disasters.