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Southern African countries need 2.1 bln USD to combat drought: official

Xinhua, October 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Drought-ravaged Southern African countries have received pledges of help from various countries, but still need 2.1 billion U.S. dollars to feed the people and manage the effects of El Nino, an official said on Wednesday.

Barbara Lopi of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat told Xinhua that in June 2016, SADC launched their appeal for assistance up to 2.7 billion dollars, but so far the region has just received confirmation of support to the tune of 595 million dollars.

The region has been facing the worst drought in 35 years and had poor harvest in the past two seasons.

The SADC said about 41 million people are affected by drought in the region. The El Nino induced dry conditions mostly affected Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia.

Twelve out of the 15 countries require humanitarian assistance to help 28 million people in need of emergency assistance.

Lopi said that in Botswana, for example, livestock mortality has been around 20 percent over the past two years due to the drought.

She said the region experienced a delayed onset of the 2015/2016 rainfall season, followed by erratic rains.

Analysis of rainfall performance shows that the October to December period last year, which represented the first half of the cropping season, was the driest in more than 35 years in several countries. During the same period, higher than average temperatures were consistently experienced across the region.

Lopi also said that when the situation normalizes, there is a fear that some will not afford to have money for seedlings, stocks and fertilizers.

There is also fear that the next season, which has just started, will be affected by La Nina which can cause floods, Lopi said.

"Awareness and sensitization on the effects of La Nina are part of the current humanitarian response activities. Preparing member states on the effects of the La Nina is a component in the response strategy and plans," she said. Enditem