Five things you need to know about El Niño-induced drought in Southern Africa
By Milka Ndungu
Urgent action is needed to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Southern Africa, many of whom are in the grip of the region’s worst drought in 100 years.
People are enduring staggering levels of food insecurity, acute malnutrition, water scarcity and disease outbreaks. And in just a few weeks’ time, many of these people may run out of options to cope, as they are already struggling with the El Niño-induced dry spell.
The worst-affected areas include south-east Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, parts of Madagascar, southern Malawi, central Mozambique, northern Namibia, central South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Here are five things you need to know about the drought in Southern Africa.
1. More than 61 million people in Southern Africa now require urgent humanitarian assistance.
The drought has come at a time when people are struggling with alarming levels of food insecurity caused by extreme weather events and a deepening climate crisis. Unless the response is urgently scaled up the situation will deteriorate, with millions of people at risk of sliding into worse levels of acute food insecurity, malnutrition and water scarcity.
2. Drought has destroyed harvests in a region where 70 per cent of the population relies on agriculture to survive.
The midseason dry spell – the worst in 100 years – wiped out 40 to 80 per cent of the maize crop in countries such as Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, according to humanitarian and Government assessments. The El Niño event has ended, but its impact will have tragic consequences for months to come. Increased water scarcity continues to affect agriculture and livestock.
3. Governments and partners have raised the alarm.
Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all declared a state of national disaster. Other countries will likely do the same after El Niño-related assessments. The intergovernmental Southern Africa Development Community has appealed for US$5.5 billion to assist more than 56.6 million people with urgent aid. This includes 3.5 million children who need nutrition assistance.
4. The drought has caused water shortages in countries already dealing with cholera outbreaks.
The severe drought is unfolding while the region is grappling with one of its worst cholera outbreaks in decades. Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe are among the eight most severely affected countries in the world. Water shortages will compromise hygiene and sanitation, which will reverse the gains made in tackling the cholera outbreaks.
5. The lean season is fast approaching; time is of the essence.
The upcoming lean season, which may begin next month, could significantly deepen acute malnutrition and water scarcity. Women and children face exacerbated risks of discrimination, violence, abuse and exploitation. Families might leave their homes as a coping mechanism, but this makes children more vulnerable due to school dropouts and reduced access to education.
Humanitarians are doing everything they can to save lives with extremely limited funding. But if aid is not sustained, millions of people risk tipping into catastrophic conditions.
To kick-start the drought crisis response, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund released more than $36.8 million to support partners in several countries in Southern Africa.
Humanitarian partners are asking donors to ramp up funding to save lives and protect livelihoods, and to enable communities to build their resilience against future shocks. Key priorities include food assistance, safe water for people and livestock, and agricultural inputs to make the most of the improved rainfall that will likely arrive later this year with the forecasted La Niña event.