The National Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (INGD) has announced that more than two million people in Mozambique are suffering from food insecurity due to the drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
The organisation said that the country needs 222 million dollars to provide assistance to the victims, pointing out that several provinces have already been affected, raising the level of concern and the number of areas in need of help.
‘The provinces of Inhambane, Gaza, Sofala and Tete are showing alarming cases of drought; there are nine districts that are completely devastated and we feel that the number of those affected could increase,’ explained Luísa Meque, president of the INGD.
She said that in some places initiatives are being implemented to combat the drought, and emphasised that there are cooperation partners working ‘on the aid line’.
Recently, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it needs funding of more than 170 million dollars to implement the plan to support people affected by drought and food insecurity in Mozambique, pointing out that, until July, it only had 16 million dollars.
The United Nations agency revealed that the money will be used to assist more than 300,000 people, guaranteeing the provision of school meals, nutrition activities to increase the immunity of pregnant women and means of subsistence in the face of severe drought.
‘The provinces of Inhambane, Gaza, Sofala and Tete are experiencing alarming cases of drought; there are nine districts that are completely devastated and we feel that the number of people affected could increase’
Data released by the organisation in a report indicates that 1.8 million people need help in seven Mozambican provinces, and that the percentage of the population at risk of food insecurity has risen to 33% due to the drought.
The organisation pointed out in the document that ‘above-average prices, combined with the failure of agricultural production and limited income opportunities, are eroding the purchasing power of poor and very poor families, leading to consumption deficits and hunger’.
‘The ‘El Niño’ phenomenon caused a shortage of rainfall and above-average temperatures, leading to drought conditions in central and southern Mozambique last year. It is predicted that 3.3 million people will face food insecurity in the period from October 2024 to March 2025,’ he said.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
