Drought Crisis in Southern Africa: An Overview of the 2023/2024 El Niño Impact
The 2023/2024 El Niño event has triggered severe drought conditions in Southern Africa, impacting food security and public health across the region. Approximately 23 million people are in need of food assistance, with notable concerns over acute malnutrition among children. The situation is compounded by ongoing cholera outbreaks and the resultant public health challenges, necessitating urgent intervention and preparedness efforts.
The El Niño phenomenon of 2023/2024 has precipitated severe drought conditions across Southern Africa, impacting countries such as Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This particular El Niño event is recognized as the most catastrophic to affect the region in four decades, aggravating pre-existing vulnerabilities in populations already struggling with crop failures and economic distress. The consequences of such climatic disruptions have manifested as droughts, acute food shortages, restricted access to safe drinking water, widespread disease outbreaks, and significant livestock losses. According to data from national governments and FEWS NET, maize harvests in affected regions were markedly below their five-year averages, further exacerbating food insecurity. Presently, nearly 23 million individuals in Southern Africa are confronted with heightened food insecurity, with Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique being the hardest hit. Estimates indicate that between 14.0 and 14.9 million people will require immediate humanitarian support during the critical lean season spanning October to December 2024. Six nations, namely Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, have declared national drought disasters, while Angola and Mozambique are also suffering severely, with approximately 1.8 million individuals in Angola and 3.3 million in Mozambique facing food insecurity. In addition, projections for 2024 suggest that over 2 million children will experience acute malnutrition, with more than half a million displaying severe symptoms that necessitate urgent intervention. The extreme weather conditions have precipitated widespread displacement, prompting significant public health challenges, including water shortages that are detrimental to hygiene and sanitation, thus enhancing the risk of cholera outbreaks, particularly in Malawi and Mozambique. Furthermore, the ongoing cholera epidemic, which has shown signs of stabilization, remains a critical concern in the region. The drought’s timing coincides with a public health landscape already fraught with vulnerabilities, exacerbating the risks of HIV and AIDS transmission, mental health issues, and gender-based violence. As the region grapples with the compounded impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, cholera outbreaks, localized conflicts, and climate change, health systems are under unprecedented strain, severely limiting access to vital sexual and reproductive health services. Over one million individuals have reportedly been displaced due to these crises, highlighting an urgent need for enhanced disaster preparedness and response mechanisms across the region.
The drought conditions in Southern Africa arise from the recent El Niño phenomenon, which has led to uncharacteristically severe weather patterns. Historically, El Niño events have had profound impacts on agricultural productivity and public health in the region. The current event is noted to be the most intense in the last 40 years, leading to significant consequences for communities that were already facing pressures from economic instability and previous climatic adversities. The ongoing crises illustrate how interconnected drought, food insecurity, and public health issues can destabilize entire populations, particularly in regions dependent on agriculture and vulnerable infrastructure.
The 2023/2024 El Niño event has resulted in unprecedented drought conditions in Southern Africa, necessitating urgent humanitarian intervention. Key affected nations face extreme food insecurity and public health challenges that threaten the well-being of millions, particularly vulnerable groups such as children. Addressing these multifaceted crises requires an integrated response that encompasses food security, public health, and disaster preparedness to mitigate further adverse effects and support affected populations adequately.
Original Source: reliefweb.int
