Non-governmental organisation Intermón Oxfam announced this Wednesday that one in five people in East Africa, Drought in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia causing 90% of wells to dry out completely. In a statement released on the occasion of International Water Day, the organization stated that 33.5 million people are deprived of adequate drinking water in this part of the continent, and that low precipitation is expected to continue in the sixth season, which will deepen the current drought. Therefore, he highlighted that the cost of water has skyrocketed by 400% since January 2021 in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia and northern Kenya, leaving 22.7 million people out of reach. acute hunger In this context, 95 percent of the water resources in pasture areas such as Marsabit and Turkana in the north of Kenya have dried up, resulting in water loss. increase in water price.
The head of the non-governmental organization said, “The hungriest people in the region are also the thirstiest. They were also deprived of economic resources when their crops and animals perished. Now they have to pay the price of water, whose price is constantly increasing.” In Africa, Fati N’Zi-Hassane.
Drought also caused death more than thirteen million cattlewhile drying up thousands of hectares of crops and forcing 1.75 million people to leave their homes in search of water and food.
In the Gulf region of Somalia, where 76,000 people are facing famine, the price of water has doubled, forcing families to make difficult decisions such as selling their meager belongings or moving elsewhere to look for water. “Hundreds of thousands of people are heading by tankers to untreated wells connected to emergency water sources or whose water is unsafe and polluted. Without safe drinking water, people are at risk of preventable diseases such as acute diarrhea or cholera,” N’ said. Zi-Hassane.
Jadra Omar, 26, who lives in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, said that the drought was “to the people”. risk their lives by drinking unsuitable water for consumption.” “Droughts in the past were not so severe. We were able to find water, but this time it is impossible. Everything has dried up and the available water is too expensive, we can’t afford it. “People are dying of thirst,” he said.
In this way, Intermón Oxfam explained that although the strengthening of the humanitarian response has managed to prevent famine in the region, only 20% of the $7,000 million (close to 6,500 million euros) has been funded so far. The United Nations calls for Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. “The world must not turn its back East Africa. “Without a significant and urgent increase in aid, many more will die of hunger and thirst,” said N’Zi-Hassane. “The worsening hunger crisis in East Africa is a stark reminder to help people cope. For recurrent crises, it is necessary to go beyond immediate humanitarian aid and seek long-term solutions. , the director of Intermón Oxfam in Africa, concluded.