Drought Iran Livestock*

TEHRAN, July 15 (Reuters) - A severe drought, now in its third year, has killed about 15,000 head of livestock since March in northeast Iran, newspapers reported on Sunday.

They quoted Ali Barati, head of nomadic affairs at the Agricultural Jihad Ministry, as saying 200,000 head of livestock in the region were under threat.

Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, he said pastures in the northeast, which support about 580,000 livestock, were suffering from excessive grazing and the drought.

Officials earlier said that water had been rationed in 30 cities around the country as water levels in reservoirs had fallen sharply.

A recent U.N. report described the drought as the worst to hit Iran for 30 years and estimated that it had caused damage worth $2.6 billion.

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