Porto Alegre, March 31, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - Due to the drought, a state of emergency has been declared in over half (255) of the muncipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the South of Brazil. According to the Coordination of Civil Defense, rural communities face, in addition to crop damage, the problem of lack of water for human consumption. Reservoirs and lakes are drying up.

According to Gilnei Bueno, an employee in the state Civil Defense Operations Center, this is the biggest drought in Rio Grande do Sul since 1991, when a state of emergency was declared in 287 of the 496 municipalities in the state, because of the drought.

With regard to the losses suffered by farmers in consequence of the drought in the Southern region, the Minister of Agrarian Development, Miguel Rossetto, declared that an inter-Ministerial mission is analyzing the measures that will be adopted to help the farmers.

Translator: David Silberstein