The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, summoned on Monday (17) the regional government leaders for a emergency meeting on the drought that reaches the country. The Indian meteorological department indicated, on August 13, that the precipitations were 29% below the average.

Of the 626 districts of India, 177 were affected by a drought, that can be the worst in 20 years if the precipitations don’t increase next weeks. The country receives 90% of their rains during the Monsoon that extend from June to September.

The television network CNN-IBN tells that, in the State of Bihar, armed farmers with rifles protect their irrigation. In the district of Bundelkhand, one of the poorer of the country, located in Uttar Pradesh, farmers’ whole families began to leave their lands bound for New Delhi.

Nine states were affected for the drought. Bihar, among the more affected, asked for an aid of € 3,3 billion to face the situation. A national committee of crisis administration was constituted, driven by the Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and composed by ten other people.

Although the emergency measures are necessary, countless analysts ask for the implantation of structural reforms.

The situation can become worse if the prices of the nutritious goods continue to arise, after an increase of more than 10% registered from June of 2008. The prices of the potato, of the lentil and of the sugar got to increase more than 30% from June of 2009.

Via: Le Monde.