Severe drought in southern Pakistan

April 14, 2000 : A severe drought has blighted agriculture in Pakistan's southern provinces of Baluchistan and Sindh, where many people now face the threat of famine. Experts working for the international relief organisation Oxfam warned that some areas were not far from facing a disaster on the scale of the famine in Ethiopia. Oxfam experts visited three drought-hit districts in Baluchistan and Thraparkar in Sindh. They said 90% of the livestock and local agriculture were affected and, while there had been no drought-related deaths as yet, they expected a further deterioration soon.