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DAM-L East Africa drought/LS (fwd)
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Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 09:11:54 -0700
To: irn-safrica@netvista.net
From: Lori Pottinger <lori@irn.org>
Subject: East Africa drought/LS
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East Africa Reels Under Worst Drought in Memory
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 11, 2001 (ENS) - The worst drought in East
Africa in living
memory has created a desperate situation for millions of people,
particularly in
Kenya. Aid agencies are warning that food shortages in the country
are critical, and
emergency supplies could run out next month.
In a joint statement issued today, 42 humanitarian and development agencies
said that after years of drought, more than four million vulnerable
people are still
facing starvation, "yet the international community is not
responding adequately to
appeals for food."
"Despite rain in some areas, the needs are still
immense," said Emma Naylor, the humanitarian
program coordinator for Oxfam, Great Britain.
"This has been the worst drought that Kenya has
faced in living memory.
Assessments show that as many as 4.4 million people
will require food aid in Kenya until the end of the year.
News that food will run out by May is disastrous."
Government plans to clear over 10 percent of Kenya's forest to
resettle landless
people pose a serious threat to water resources, Kenyan
environmental groups are
warning. Much of the country's irrigation, 90 percent of its
domestic water supply
and 70 percent of hydroelectric power depend on the water catchment
areas that
will be affected by the deforestation.
In recent months, parts of Kenya seem to have been recovering from the
devastating drought, but food shortages in the north and east are
still causing
serious problems. "Assessments show that even if the current rainy season is
good, food will be required until the end of the year," the groups said.
Of particular concern is the lack of oil and beans, in addition to
a shortage of
special supplementary food for children. Surveys in parts of
northern Kenya show
that malnutrition among children is still unacceptably high. "It is
desperately sad
to think that despite all the progress that has been made and all
the lives that
have been saved, we are facing a return to widespread suffering," said Alloys
Omolo of the aid organization CARE.
"Donors should realize that if they don't support this appeal, the
positive impact of
their earlier response will be wasted," Omolo said.
Earlier this week, the Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) warned that the number of people facing severe food
shortages is now estimated at 28 million, of whom 18
million, or 64 percent, are in eastern Africa.
It described the situation in Kenya as "precarious."
Over the past 10 years, Kenya has been hit by a series of
natural disasters. The present drought, which began in
1999, has been the worst in the last 60 years. Small scale
subsistence farmers
and pastoralists who depend on rain for their livelihoods have been
reduced to a
state of destitution and dependence on food aid.
Shariff Nassir, Kenya's Minister of State in charge of Relief and
Rehabilitation is
appealing to the world community for aid in the amount of US$17
million to help
the drought affected farmers and pastoralists resume agricultural activities,
become self sufficient in food production and build up capacity for drought
resistance.
Other countries in eastern Africa hard hit by drought include
Ethiopia and Eritrea,
Somali, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
--
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network <'})))>><
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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