Metrological Conditions - Namibia Declares Emergency Due to Drought in Africa.
It's been a relentless dry spell in Namibia, prompting President Nangolo Mbumba to declare a state of emergency on Monday. The country is facing a nationwide drought catastrophe, Mbumba explained in an official statement. Several other countries in Southern Africa, like Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, have also made similar announcements due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.
Mozambique, Botswana, and Angola are also feeling the heat with an unprecedented dry period. This extended dry season is connected to El Niño, a periodic irregular weather phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific. In fact, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) classes El Niño as one of the five most intense observed in recent history.
The WFP of the UN states that February this year was the driest in 40 years for the region. The severe weather conditions have put nearly five million individuals in the region in dire need of food assistance. The agricultural livelihood of about 70% of the population in the affected countries is on the line at the moment, as we move into the autumn season of the Southern Hemisphere.
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The state of emergency declared by Namibia's President Nangolo Mbumba is due to the severe drought affecting Windhoek and other parts of Namibia, which is part of the larger crisis in Africa. The drought is thought to be a result of the El Niño phenomenon, causing a significant drop in rainfall. This lack of rainfall has led to a dire situation for agriculture, putting the food security of nearly five million individuals at risk. The dry spell has also impacted other countries in Southern Africa, such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, leading them to declare similar states of emergency. The prolonged dry period has been classified as one of the five most intense El Niño events in recent history by the World Meteorological Organization.
Source: www.stern.de
