Another drought looms

Water shortages in eastern and southern Ethiopia are reaching "emergency proportions" as a result of failed rains, according to the Ethiopian government’s federal early warning system (EWS), based in the capital, Addis Ababa. (inserting "eastern and southern") Pastoralists in the remote Somali Region [now officially classified as the Somali National Regional State - SNRS] and along the border with Kenya in the south are facing critical shortages of pasture for their animals, EWS said in a report on Wednesday. "The performance of the season is worrying," it noted. The EWS also reported that signs of malnutrition were now appearing among the vulnerable. In particular, it noted, shortages of water and pasture were reaching "emergency proportions" in certain districts, especially those on the border with Somalia in the far east of the country. The Deyr rains, normally expected in October, and vital to pastoralists in the Somali region, are now a month late. It was the failure of the same rains in 1999 that caused the devastating drought estimated to have claimed 50,000 lives. The failure of this year's Deyr rains also comes in the wake of a country-wide drought which has left 13.2 million people dependent on international food aid. "It is important to note that in this largely pastoral region, one rain failure or a significant delay in one rainy season can easily result in a drought situation, because the population is very dependent on the biannual rainfall cycle," the EWS said. "Currently, southern highlands, southern and southeastern parts of the country are major concern areas," it added. "They cover most parts of the pastoral areas." During a meeting in the SNRS capital, Jijiga, on Monday, chaired by the SNRS acting president, Abdi Jibril, senior state officials budgeted an initial US $400,000 to be spent on tankering desperately needed water to affected families. It is understood from humanitarian sources that up to 500,000 people will be in need of this service. Medical supplies are also being sought. Moreover, the EWS warned that there had been large migrations of pastoralists into Ethiopia from inside Somalia, which has also been hit by poor rains – further exacerbating water shortages. It added that a team from the government’s Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission was about to make an in-depth assessment of the potential crisis. "Until then, these areas are major concern areas which need close attention and follow-up," the EWS warned.