Over half a million people in Lesotho at risk of food insecurity due to drought

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday warned that Lesotho continues to face a major drought crisis with over half a million people at risk of food insecurity up to June.

A recent nutrition and HIV mass screening assessment conducted in five districts of the African country found that 8.2 percent of pregnant and lactating mothers were moderately malnourished, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here, citing information from OCHA.

Some 2.2 percent of children under five were also found to be moderately malnourished while 0.6 percent had severe acute malnutrition, he noted.

There is limited funding available, with a 47.2-million-U.S. dollar resource gap hindering UN and non-governmental organization partners from meeting current humanitarian needs, he said.

A Lesotho government drought assessment shows up to 56 percent of communities are using unprotected water sources; all 10 districts reported disease outbreaks, an increase in gender and sexual violence, a drop in the national herd and increasing food prices because of scarcity and demand.

The drought will stretch government resources at a time when state revenues have been affected by lower commodity prices, reduced earnings from the Southern African Customs Union and declining remittances from South Africa-based workers.

South Africa, which surrounds Lesotho, is itself in danger of slipping into a recession as companies and farmers are retrenching thousands of workers.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Lesotho already spends the equivalent of 9 percent of its gross domestic product on social services, one of the highest rates in the world.

Three UN agencies -- UNICEF, the World Food Programme and OCHA -- are responding to the El Nino-induced drought which has also scorched South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi, forcing them to declare food emergencies. Endit