India Facing First Drought in Three Years

 India is facing its first drought in three years, with this year's monsoon¹ rains down by nearly 20 percent.

In a report issued late Thursday, the Indian Meteorological Department said more than half of India has received deficient² rainfall between June and August of this year. Portions of the country's northwest, including key food-producing states such as Punjab, have been hit particularly hard by drought-like conditions.

Department head, Laxman Singh Rathore, told reporters Friday that the outlook for the rest of the monsoon season is not looking up.  He said, "quantitatively³, rainfall for the entire country as a whole during the period August to September is likely to be 91 percent of the long period average."

Monsoon rains provide water for more than half of India's crops, and many farmers have been relying on underground pumps to irrigate⁴ their land.  Their use of diesel⁵ fuel- powered generators⁶ to power the pumps has contributed to increased electricity demands nationwide, with power grids⁸ struggling to keep up. Earlier this week, two grid⁷ failures left hundreds of millions without power in India.

India's Farm Minister Sharad Pawar and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh toured farms in the western state of Gujarat on Friday to assess the drought situation.  Pawar said the federal government will take appropriate action to respond to states' demands for more irrigation facilities and electricity connections.

A poor monsoon season and subsequent drought could further hurt the Indian economy, which is already dealing⁹ with high inflation and slow growth.  The government has said it will review its export rules for farm goods next month.  India is the world's second largest producer of wheat, rice and sugar.  Low production could prompt a ban on exports.

1 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

2 deficient   

adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的

参考例句：

• The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。
• I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

3 quantitatively   

adv.数量上

参考例句：

• With the ease, radiation detectors can be used semi-quantitatively in the field. 使用射线探测器可以很方便地进行野外半定量测定。 来自辞典例句
• In other words, you are to analyze them quantitatively and qualitatively. 换句话说，你们要对它们进行量和质的分析。 来自辞典例句

4 irrigate   

vt.灌溉，修水利，冲洗伤口，使潮湿

参考例句：

• The farmer dug several trenches to irrigate the rice fields.这个农民挖了好几条沟以灌溉稻田。
• They have built canals to irrigate the desert.他们建造成水渠以灌溉沙漠。

5 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

6 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

8 grids   

n.格子( grid的名词复数 )；地图上的坐标方格；（输电线路、天然气管道等的）系统网络；（汽车比赛）赛车起跑线

参考例句：

• Typical framed structures are beams, grids, plane and space frames or trusses. 典型构架结构为梁、格栅、平面的和空间的框架或桁架。 来自辞典例句
• The machines deliver trimmed grids for use or stock. 这种机器铸出修整过的板栅，以供使用或储存。 来自辞典例句

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。