Page 97 - The World About Us

Ca le on the move
1.1.1
1.1.1
2.2.3
2.3.5

How did people respond to the drought in Southern Africa?

For people living through the El transfers to affected countries. El Niño: country by country
Niño-induced drought of 2015-16, life However, many people have
Across Southern Africa, some 40 million
became a daily struggle for survival. complained that the interna onal people were affected by the El Niño event.
Aid agencies and chari es from response was s ll too slow. Unlike a While not everywhere suffered the same, most
the region, and across the world, war, an El Niño-induced drought is Southern African na ons had large pockets of
stepped up to help. China and the not obvious un l it is deeply badly drought-ridden areas where people
USA sent dona ons of food aid; the entrenched across half the con nent. struggled for survival.
UK spent many millions of pounds in By the me slow-moving Angola Crop yields were down by 40% and
famine relief measures. The Word bureaucracies started to act in 2016, 1.2 million people affected. Food prices were
Bank released emergency cash the situa on had become desperate rising by up to 50% each month.
Lesotho 48% of the rural popula on was
The global aid funding gap affected as maize produc on fell by 61%,
sorghum 81% and wheat 38%, when compared
In 2016 the Fig.258 UN funding appeal, dona ons and shor all, August 2016 to the already poor 2015 harvest.
United Na ons Funding Funding Funding % Madagascar The maize, cassava and rice
launched an appeal Country required, US$ received, US$ short fall, US$ gap crops fell by as much as 95% compared to 2015,
for funds to help Angola 69,185,200 7,926,990 61,263,210 89 leaving 1.63 million people in the south of the
the African Lesotho 56,210,327 29,142,859 27,067,468 48 island na on in food insecurity. Half a million
countries most Madagascar 70,482,692 28,908,347 41,574,345 59 were said to be in food crisis.
affected by the El Malawi 395,361,811 202,810,237 192,551,574 49
Niño-induced Mozambique 204,300,00 78,156,697 126,143,303 62
drought. The table Swaziland 84,760,000 23,240,000 61,520,000 73
in figure 258 shows Zimbabwe 359,861,529 165,070,544 194,790,985 54
the state of UN 6,450,000 8,882,168
fundraising by Regional 1,567,832 24
August 2016. The Total 1,246,611,559 540,132,841 706, 478, 718 57
lack of funds seriously affected relief to men on ongoing humanitarian issues,
efforts in some afflicted places. such as the civil war in Syria).
The unprecedented scale of El Niño- With another El Niño event
induced crises across the globe, put many threatening for 2018/19, many in the ‘aid
na onal aid budgets under intense community’ are stressing the need to
pressure, just when the global need was build resilience in local communi es. In
at its greatest. 2016 saw numerous natural this way people can become less
disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, dependent on emergency aid during
forest fires, hurricanes and blizzards (not future El Niño-induced droughts.
Fig.260 The wet and dry savannah climate of
UK aid to Southern Africa Fig.259 UK aid infographic. Southern Africa makes the region prone to drought.
Malawi 6.7 million people were affected by
Between July 2015 and July 2016 the
UK provided some $250 million of El Niño food insecurity. Millions were at risk from water-
related aid to Africa. Interna onal borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.
School drop-out rates soared.
development minister James Wharton said,
“Widespread drought means millions of Mozambique 2.3 million people needed
people across Africa are being forced to go assistance with food security. Shortages saw
without vital food and clean water.” maize prices rise by 121%. Rates of malnutri on
and reduced growth in children reached 15% in
“The UK is leading the way in helping to some areas.
prevent and prepare for the impact of El
Swaziland 30% of the popula on was in
Niño by providing lifesaving food, water
and shelter to people in urgent need. need of food assistance. With 28% of the
Support for people affected by El Niño is popula on living with HIV, there were significant
important to Africa and firmly in Britain’s risks to the short-term and long-term health of
the rural popula on.
interest.”
Zimbabwe An es mated 4.1 million people,
UK aid included immediate feeding of
vulnerable people suffering both acute (42% of the rural popula on) needed food aid by
the end of the lean period prior to the 2017
and moderate malnutri on. Aid funding
was also used to help build resilience to harvest. Rising food prices threatened
future El Niño droughts. malnutri on to 30% of the urban popula on.

87 97

The global circulation of the atmosphere controls weather and climate.Drought can be devastating for people and the environment.