Extreme drought hits Somalia as the biggest river, Shabelle River runs dry.
Farmlands along the river have become dry and desolate as the biggest food producer in the country becomes obsolete reports AFP
“I have never dreamt of finding myself walking inside the river,” said Adow Amin, a resident in Afgoye town, just outside the capital Mogadishu, an area famous for its banana production.
The El Nino weather phenomenon is believed to have caused floods and failed rains across Africa leading to high numbers of people going hungry.
There are 385,000 people in dire need of food across Somalia according the United Nations.
“Severe drought exacerbated by El Nino conditions has hit parts of Puntland and Somaliland, affecting hundreds of thousands of people… A further 1.3 million people risk slipping into acute food insecurity if they do not receive assistance… or nearly 40 percent of the 4.6 million people living in Puntland and Somaliland “the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned in latest report.
UN warned that more than 58,000 children will starve to death in Somalia if they not received urgent assistance.
Somalia lost a quarter million people in 2010-2012 during a severe drought and conflict.
While the river is seasonal, flooding during intense rains, then nearly drying up in the dry season,residents say the levels are the lowest they have seen in recent memory
Ethiopia, the source of the Shabelle River is also struggling with its worst drought in 30 years with over 10.2 million people in need of food aid.
