25 percent of population in Zimbabwe affected by drought: UN relief agency

Zimbabwe is currently in the grip of an intense drought driven by one of the strongest El Nino events in the last 35 years, with more than a quarter of its 15 million people food insecure, a UN spokesman said Tuesday, citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The combination of a poor 2014-2015 harvest, an extremely dry October to December season, and forecasts for continuing hot and drier-than-average conditions through mid-2016, is expected to lead to extensive crop failure exposing vulnerable people to high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"Food availability -- through production in the country -- is at its lowest in a decade," he said.

The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee recently said that about 2.8 million people in the country are already food insecure, and that drought conditions are driving water, sanitation, health, education and other sectoral needs across the country, he noted.

OCHA has provided technical support to the Zimbabwean government in rapid assessments and planning for resource mobilization.

In January, the African Union (AU) and OCHA made a fresh appeal for humanitarian assistance towards African countries affected by El Nino.

In early February, OCHA said that about 22 million people across the Eastern Africa region will require food assistance due to El-Nino-related heavy rains which have been pounding several parts of the region since June 2015.

El Nino -- which means the Little Boy in Spanish -- and its sister La Nina -- the Little Girl -- are weather events, which contribute to changes in climate and weather. Enditem