UN warns on Iran drought

A United Nations report says that millions of people in Iran could be displaced by the severe drought affecting the country -- the worst in thirty years.

The report by UN officials who have been touring Iran says water shortages could lead over sixty percent of the rural population to migrate to the overcrowded cities, where water is already in short supply.

The drought -- now in its second year -- is affecting more than half of Iran's population of sixty million.

The UN report says that the enormous scope of the disaster is overwhelming the Iranian government's resources, which are already stretched to the limit. It says the situation is likely to worsen in the coming months, with no rain expected until November.

The drought is also affecting neighbouring Afghanistan -- and the report says many of the population there are expected to cross into Iran in search of water and pasture.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service