New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS): The Supreme Court Tuesday expressed its concern over the monsoon failure, threat of drought and further rise in the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, and urged the government to provide succour to people.

"Prices are rising. Pulses' prices too are rising. So are those of other food items of the common man," observed a bench of Justice Markandey Katju, while evaluating the work done by a technical experts committee formed by the government as per the court order to "to address the problem of water scarcity through scientific research on war footing".

While appreciating the work done by the panel, the bench, which also included Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly, said: "We may also mention that at present there seems to be a monsoon failure in the large parts of the country, because of which people are suffering."

"We request the committee to take measures to alleviate the immediate crisis, which people in large parts of the country are facing," the bench said.

"The work must be done in the spirit of patriotism," said the bench.

Moved by the plight of "exhausted housewives waiting in serpentine queues for hours to fill their water pitchers", the apex court had April 28 ordered the government to form a panel of scientists to undertake research to tackle the problem of water crisis in the country.

The government in an affidavit told the court: "For achieving the objectives, a Technology Mission: Winning, Augmentation and Renovation for Water (WAR for Water) has been formulated."

The government informed the court that it has already formed a panel headed by Science and Technology Ministry's Secretary T. Ramasami, and had also submitted to the court the work done by the panel in last one month or so.