Tajikistan drought continues

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1114000/1114764.stm]

There's growing concern in Tajikistan over the lack of snow and rain this winter, and the implications this will have for the coming months.

The relatively dry winter follows a severe drought last year, the worst for over seventy years.

Food is being urgently distributed to help the victims of that crisis, although only a fraction of the aid requested has been received so far.

The United Nations launched an urgent appeal for Tajikistan, warning it would take at least three months for aid to arrive.

Tajikistan is one of the poorest former Soviet states and the drought has compounded its difficulties.