The present situation report is based on the findings of the mission, and therefore focuses on the drought situation in Pakistan. The UN systems in Afghanistan and Pakistan are considering mounting a coordinated assessment of the drought in both countries. Situation in Pakistan 4. Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan is undergoing a serious drought which is the cumulative effect of three years of unsatisfactory monsoons. The poor living conditions caused by the drought have plummeted further due to the high rate of livestock mortality.
Animal husbandry is the chief source of livelihood in the region.
In addition, water resources are becoming more and more scarce. With the approach of summer, water-borne diseases are expected to multiply and it is feared that the drought conditions will further deteriorate. Here a sparse population of around 28,500 people inhabit an inhospitable mountain area stretching over 2,700 square kilometres to the south of Wadh. Much of the population of Aranji lives in single room houses and beneath the poverty line, since there is little agriculture, economic opportunities are few and access to food is difficult in an area so lacking in roads and transportation facilities. The drought situation has placed great strain on water resources and livestock health, leading to a reduction in prices of livestock and diminishing the purchasing power of the population.