ReliefWeb

HIGHLIGHTS

• Drought conditions worsen across the country

• Conflict displaces thousands of people

• Kenya extends Dadaab refugee camp closure

• Partners scale down due to lack of funding

Drought worsens humanitarian situation

Authorities appeal for humanitarian assistance for worst affected areas Drought conditions continue to worsen in Somalia.

Drought conditions continue to worsen in Somalia. Joint assessments conducted by authorities and humanitarian partners confirm that drought conditions are affecting Puntland, Somaliland and some parts of southern and central Somalia, especially Gedo, Hiraan and Lower Juba regions. These areas have experienced a delayed start of the Deyr (October-December) rains. Most regions registered less than half of the usual rainfall in the month of October. Pasture and water shortages are widespread and crop losses at a significant scale are highly likely, with total crop failure expected in several areas.
Substantial increases in water prices are being reported in many areas of Xudur district in Bakool region, with price hikes as high as 66 per cent, and 58 per cent in Laas Caanood district of Sool region. The Deyr rains are past their peak; no significant rainfall is expected in the coming weeks and the drought conditions are likely to intensify until the next rainy season expected in April 2017 according to SWALIM.

Water levels in Juba and Shabelle rivers are below normal for this time of year due to limited rain upstream in the Ethiopian highlands. The water levels are expected to decline further, putting additional stress on communities dependent on irrigation for growing crops. The worsening drought, poor Deyr rains in October, and poor prospects for the remainder of the season will further compound the food security situation countrywide.

On 12 November, the President of the Federal Government of Somalia appealed for humanitarian assistance for people affected by the drought. State authorities in Jubbaland, Puntland and Somaliland also issued appeals on 2 October, 5 October, and 17 November, respectively, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

Access to food and livelihoods diminishes

The drought comes amid an already fragile humanitarian situation. Overall, some five million people - two out of five Somalis - are already in need of humanitarian assistance. More than one million of these are in ‘crisis’ and ‘emergency’ and this figure is now projected to increase to over 1.3 million by May 2017, according to a food security outlook issued jointly by FSNAU/FEWSNET in October.
Areas worst affected by the drought have already seen increased rates of malnutrition due to earlier droughts. Overall, over 320,000 acutely malnourished children are in need of urgent nutrition support, including life-saving treatment for more than 50,000 who are currently severely malnourished. These children are the most vulnerable during the current drought. The case load of acute malnourished children for one year is estimated to be 850,000 including 150,000 severely malnourished children. Separate surveys in rural and IDP settlements indicate that Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) prevalence are above the Critical threshold of 15 per cent in half of 28 rural and displaced population groups surveyed.

In Puntland, drought conditions have impacted some 150,000 people. Livestock prices have been declining since February 2016, as has the terms of trade between goats and cereals. A spike in milk prices has put the lives of vulnerable people, particularly children and the elderly at risk. In Bari and Nugaal regions, large numbers of livestock deaths are likely as the situation deteriorates further due to poor Deyr rains, which could undermine people’s livelihoods and food sources. Terms of trade between goats and cereals in these regions are also declining in some main markets. This could worsen in more remote rural markets. Severe water shortages have resulted in a 300 per cent increase in the cost of water since June 2015 from the equivalent of $5 per 200 litre barrel of water to $15 in some parts of Puntland.