An assessment carried out by a Kenya Red Cross team in Kalapata in Lokichar Division on 7th June 2011 indicates that the drought situation in Kalapata has worsened due to prolonged lack of water. Mainly affected are livestock in Kalapata, Nakerot, Nalemkais, Lomeleku, Kaang’akipur, Kaakalel, Nakalei, Kangirisae, Nakurio and Kerio Trading Centre of Kerio division. Most trees were leafless and livestock had nothing to feed on in the places visited by the team.
During the assessment, the team established that several households faced starvation in Kalapata location as follows: Kalapata, 30 families, Naperot 20, Nalemkais 25, Lomeleku 20, Kaang’akipur 15, Kaakalel 10 and Nakalei, 40.
Poor communication network has made it difficult for the drought situation in the area to be highlighted. Due to lack of safe drinking water, the affected communities are using water from the lake for domestic purposes and thus predisposing themselves to diarhoeal diseases situation.
The population of 23, 509 (area chief data) people in the location as per data from the DDO, relies on charcoal burning as a source of income. Most women in the visited villages weave baskets for a living. Most palm trees have, however, dried up to the extend that these woman cannot find reeds for making basket. The scarcity of the reeds and palm tree leaves for basket production impacts negatively on household’s food security.
Last month, KRCC distributed 8MT of food to Nakurio and Kerio locations and 80 (25kg) bags of CSB/Unimix to four schools within Lokichar division.