BARCELONA, Spain (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Nearly one million children need treatment for severe malnutrition in eastern and southern Africa because of drought that is putting millions more at risk of hunger, water shortages and disease, says the United Nations’ children’s agency.
Even though the powerful El Niño weather phenomenon blamed for the drought is forecast to dissipate soon, its impact on people in affected countries will last far longer, the UN has warned.
“El Niño … will wane, but the cost to children, many who were already living hand-to-mouth, will be felt for years to come,” said Leila Gharagozloo-Pakkala, regional director for east and southern Africa with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
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“Governments are responding with available resources, but this is an unprecedented situation. Children’s survival is dependent on action taken today,” she added.
The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said earlier this year that El Niño would affect more than 60 million people across parts of Africa, the Pacific, Asia and Latin America.
Zimbabwe, Lesotho and most provinces in South Africa have declared a disaster. In Ethiopia, the those in need of food aid is expected to rise to 18 million by the end of 2016 from more than10 million now.
