Word: drought
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...town accountant and an even blander style of oratory, Rudd, 51, doesn't fit the typical mold of an Australian man of action. A former diplomat and veteran technocrat, he often seems more comfortable roaming the international halls of power than pressing the flesh with laid-off workers or drought-stricken farmers in the Outback. Rudd is the consummate globalized citizen, and makes a point of reaching out to those in other nations who share his sense of international community. "He'll put in a full day in the Parliament and then, because of the time difference, call world leaders...
...Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked officials to monitor the situation closely, and the relevant ministries and state governments are preparing contingency plans, including distributing drought-resistant seeds, encouraging farmers to grow crops that require less water, and even implementing cloud seeding programs to bring on rains. Experts expect tax breaks and price supports in the budget to be announced early next month. Roy of FICCI says the worst may yet be averted. "Last year the agricultural season was good and procurement was higher than normal," he says, "But the government can start taking preparatory steps such as imports...
...rains and causing longer gaps between rainy periods. "We need to accept now that climate change is something that is bound to happen," says Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director, Bioresources and Biotechnology at The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi. "Not just high temperatures but fluctuating temperatures. Not just drought but also floods." We already have such varieties but we've forgotten about them during the last 40-50 years of high-input agriculture. She says better crops need to be re-discovered and developed through traditional methods as well as new technologies such as genetically modified seeds...
...northern areas, and will tend to fall in severe downpours, leading to more widespread flooding. Meanwhile, the South - and especially the Southwest - will become drier. That's alarming because the Southwest and Southeast, where populations are growing faster than in any other U.S. region, are already struggling with drought...
...drought and malnutrition are thrusting Somalia towards even greater catastrophe," says Hassan Noor, Oxfam's Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia. "Living conditions in Afgooye are some of the worst I have ever seen. I couldn't see a single shelter fit for human beings, and thousands of people have nothing to sleep under or protect them from the searing heat and heavy rains. I saw sick children lying on the floor with diarrhea and disease. I saw a young girl who had been shot in the head, fleeing with her family. People told me they expect the situation to get even...