With reservoirs and rivulets drying up under a scorching sun, hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing their homes to escape drought conditions in three Indian states, including the earthquake-devastated Gujarat, officials said yesterday.

An opposition lawmaker and newspapers reported 23 deaths due to malnutrition and hot weather.

Wild animals are straying into villages in search of water in eastern Orissa state.

The capital, New Delhi, suffers power shutdowns of an hour or more several times a day, as the utility tries to distribute electricity to different neighborhoods. Demand for power to run fans and air conditioners exceeds supply.

Men and women walk 8-10 km daily to fetch water for their families to survive in the northwestern desert state of Rajasthan, grappling with a severe drought for the third straight year because monsoon rains have consistently failed. Nearly 32 million people and 40 million cattle are suffering from lack of water and shortage of food.

"It's one of the severest droughts in living memory. Out of 32 districts, 31 are facing acute shortage of water. More than 30,000 villages have about a 50 per cent deficit in crop yield, jeopardizing the lives of 32 million people," said Rajasthan's Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

The shortage of drinking water has hit the urban population as well,

Gehlot said.

Still recovering from a January 26 earthquake that killed an estimated 30,000 people and buried towns and villages, neighboring Gujarat is now battling a drought.

In Orissa, all but two of 30 districts have been hit by drought, officials said. Daily temperatures are soaring to 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).

The state government has confirmed one death. Bhalu Behera, 70, died of sun stroke in Ghoradia, a coastal village in Khurda district, last Sunday. Newspaper reports, however, put the death toll at 20.

Debi Prasad Mishra, the state's junior health minister, said the government has received reports of more deaths but they are still being checked.

The worst affected are the wild elephants who require large amounts of water. "Elephants require huge quantities of water both for bathing and to satisfy their thirst. The water shortage is affecting them to a greater degree," said Mohanty.

At least 17 people and three elephants died last year when elephants encroached into human habitats in the state's Khurda and Dhenkanal districts. Orissa has 1,827 wild elephants, according to the forest department.

The federal government is rushing tankers of water and food in trains to Rajasthan. The state is offering work to the poorest people at 45-60 rupees (90 cents to dlrs 1.5) per day, but thousands are still migrating in search of food and water.