Drought crisis talks in Gujarat

Hundreds of thousands of livestock have died

An emergency meeting has been convened by the government in the Indian state of Gujarat to discuss how to deal with the severe drought in the region.

The chief minister, Keshubhai Patel, has asked political parties as well as trade and business representatives, voluntary groups and other non-governmental organisations to attend.

Digging endlessly in search for water

The state is one of the worst affected by the drought, which has also hit neighbouring Rajasthan and Maharasthra, as well as Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

At least 50 million people are said to be affected across India.

With prolonged periods of dryness, there are reports of crop failure in many areas.

The drought has also hit southern Pakistan and Afghanistan.

On the move

The Indian Government has stepped up relief efforts to bring water and food to areas affected.

Naval vessels have been ordered to ship eight million litres of drinking water to Gujarat from Bombay.

And trains will be used to transport supplies to other parts of the country.

Hundreds of thousands of cattle and goats have died but, so far, no human deaths have been linked to the drought.

Peope have started leaving their homes in the worst affected parts of Rajasthan, according to reports from the state.

Criticism

The government has warned that food production will drop by up to 30%.

Some states have now started a work-for-food programme so that villagers could earn some money.

It is sad that everybody just sits and waits for things to get worse

Christine van Nieuwenhuyse, WFP

"We have provided employment for 418,000 people and set up camel camps for people wanting to provide their animals with food," Rajasthan's Relief Minister, Gulab Singh Shakawat, told the AFP news agency.

The government in Delhi has, however, come under increasing criticism for failing to anticipate the situation.

"We were aware of the situation in November 1999," said Christine van Nieuwenhuyse of World Food Programme.

"It is sad that everybody just sits and waits for things to get worse," she said.

She said India had enough food to feed everybody but the really needy did not have access to it.

The BBC's Daniel Lak, who has been visiting Gujarat, says most people in the state have been resilient in the face of their adversity.

But many others are simply praying for rain.

India receives about three-quarters of its rainfall from the annual monsoon which runs from June to September.

The failure of monsoons for two years running has exacerbated long-running water shortages in the drier parts of the country.

On Tuesday, the Bangalore-based Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation warned that the total amount of rainfall this year would be lower than that of 1999.

However, the government has said it believes the monsoon this year will normal.