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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Jun 29 2011 - 08:42:12 EDT
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2011/s3256384.htm
Ten million threatened by drought in Africa
Timothy McDonald reported this story on Wednesday, June 29, 2011 12:42:00
ELEANOR HALL: The United Nations is warning that more than 10 million people
could be affected by the horn of Africa's worst drought in decades.
A poor wet season and high food prices have led to severe food shortages and
aid agencies say the situation is desperate and getting worse.
Refugee camps in Kenya are filling up with starving people who have fled
from neighbouring Somalia where one in three children are suffering from
malnutrition.
Timothy McDonald has our report.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: When there's a drought in Australia there's often a huge
impact on the economy and a large social impact on rural communities.
But when it happens in the horn of Africa things can be much worse.
Save The Children's Sonia Zambakides says the situation is desperate.
SONIA ZAMBAKIDES: A mother arrived at one of our feeding centres saying
she'd actually left her children behind in a village because she couldn't
watch them die.
She'd walked away and left her six children in a house - two of them ended
up dying and we managed to reach four others.
Those are the types of conditions that's happening everyday in south-central
Somalia. That's what's pushing to walk maybe one month, six weeks.
Children are arriving in (inaudible) barefoot, six weeks walking - they're
covered in sores and wounds, they're acutely malnourished, they're
completely dehydrated and that is preferable to the conditions they're
living in south-central Somalia.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: She says the conflict in Somalia is making things worse
and many people are probably not surviving the journey across the border.
SONIA ZAMBAKIDES: These people are absolutely desperate. We don't know how
many people are not surviving.
We don't have those figures but we can be sure that there's families and
children who are not surviving this journey.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Elizabeth Byrs is a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
She says the drought is one of the worst on record.
ELIZABETH BYRS (translated voiceover): It's currently estimated that because
of weak rains the drought situation has worsened and in certain places we
haven't seen any rain at all.
We haven't seen such a drought in 60 years. One can even go back to the 50s
to find a situation so dramatic.
More than 10 million people need assistance and there is a serious food
crisis.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Some experts say the drought could be as severe as the one
that caused mass starvation in Ethiopia in the early 1980s although the
international community is better prepared to deal with it.
Professor Richard Odingo from the University of Nairobi is the former
vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
He says that within the affected region some areas are faring much better
than others.
RICHARD ODINGO: The situation is still developing. It could be as bad but
depending on which area you are talking about there are patches - good
patches particularly as you move towards the western part of Kenya and into
Uganda.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Professor Odingo says it could be another six months
before the drought starts to break.
He says it's caused by the same weather system that caused the floods in
Australia earlier this year.
RICHARD ODINGO: The drought is caused by La Nina. The rest of the world is
very much affected by what happens in the Pacific.
In years when the greater part of the Pacific Ocean is hot and you have what
we call El Nino we have a lot of rain and a lot of destruction.
The opposite is La Nina and we have been having over the last 12 months or
so we have been having La Nina.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
is concerned that it lacks the resources it needs to deal with the crisis.
Emergency appeals throughout the region are about half funded and the World
Food Programme is currently able to meet only a third of the actual food
needs in its areas of operation.
ELEANOR HALL: Timothy McDonald reporting.
SUBBED
TWT
29 June 2011
AFRICA DROUGHT
ELEANOR HALL: The United Nations is warning that more than 10 million people
could be affected by the Horn of Africa's worst drought in decades.
A poor wet season and high food prices have led to severe food shortages and
aid agencies say the situation is desperate and getting worse.
Refugee camps in Kenya are filling up with starving people who have fled
from neighbouring Somalia where one in three children are suffering from
malnutrition.
Timothy McDonald has our report.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: When there's a drought in Australia there's often a huge
impact on the economy and a large social impact on rural communities.
But when it happens in the Horn of Africa things can be much worse.
Save the Children's Sonia Zambakides says the situation is desperate.
SONIA ZAMBAKIDES: A mother arrived at one of our feeding centres saying
she'd actually left her children behind in a village because she couldn't
watch them die.
She'd walked away and left her six children in a house - two of them ended
up dying and we managed to reach four others.
Those are the types of conditions that's happening everyday in south-central
Somalia. That's what's pushing to walk maybe one month, six weeks.
Children are arriving into Dadaab barefoot, six weeks walking - they're
covered in sores and wounds, they're acutely malnourished, they're
completely dehydrated and that is preferable to the conditions they're
living in south-central Somalia.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: She says the conflict in Somalia is making things worse
and many people are probably not surviving the journey across the border.
SONIA ZAMBAKIDES: These people are absolutely desperate. We don't know how
many people are not surviving.
We don't have those figures but we can be sure that there's families and
children who are not surviving this journey.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Elisabeth Byrs is a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
She says the drought is one of the worst on record.
ELISABETH BYRS (translation): It's currently estimated that because of weak
rains the drought situation has worsened and in certain places we haven't
seen any rain at all.
We haven't seen such a drought in 60 years. One can even go back to the 50s
to find a situation so dramatic.
More than 10 million people need assistance and there is a serious food
crisis.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Some experts say the drought could be as severe as the one
that caused mass starvation in Ethiopia in the early 1980s although the
international community is better prepared to deal with it.
Professor Richard Odingo from the University of Nairobi is the former
vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
He says that within the affected region some areas are faring much better
than others.
RICHARD ODINGO: The situation is still developing. It could be as bad but
depending on which area you are talking about there are patches - good
patches particularly as you move towards the western part of Kenya and into
Uganda.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Professor Odingo says it could be another six months
before the drought starts to break.
He says it's caused by the same weather system that caused the floods in
Australia earlier this year.
RICHARD ODINGO: The drought is caused by La Nina. The rest of the world is
very much affected by what happens in the Pacific.
In years when the greater part of the Pacific Ocean is hot and you have what
we call El Nino we have a lot of rain and a lot of destruction.
The opposite is La Nina and we have been having over the last 12 months or
so we have been having La Nina.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
is concerned that it lacks the resources it needs to deal with the crisis.
Emergency appeals throughout the region are about half funded and the World
Food Programme is currently able to meet only a third of the actual food
needs in its areas of operation.
ELEANOR HALL: Timothy McDonald reporting.
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