Death By Drought A Threat To Millions In Africa

Over 8 million people face a direct threat and 15 million more are at risk of starvation in the drought-stricken countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, as the traditionally dry months of June, July and August approach, according to the United Nations. And as of May 2, only $95 million of the $443 million requested has been committed, the agency said.

Aid workers on the ground say though the April/May rains have begun, the deluge may be too late to reverse the cumulative effects of a prolonged drought that has scourged the region.

"In Kenya as elsewhere in the Eastern Horn of Africa, the long rains have begun but it is too early to say if they will be enough," said Peter Smerdon, a U.N. World Food Programme representative in Kenya.
Not only may the rains be too little too late, but they may pose other health and sustainability threats to the millions of nomadic herders and subsistence farmers whose livelihoods have already been undermined.

"The start of the rains does alleviate the need for water in the short run, but they don't solve the need for food," Smerdon said. "A lot of rain does not help the herdsmen to restock their herds."

In fact, Smerdon added, "In some ways [the rain] has worsened the situation for people with livestock because as temperatures drop, the animals get sick and die, and because there are so many dead animals lying around there, there is a concern that the water would be contaminated and people would drink it and diseases would increase."

The rains also make it hard for humanitarian aid to reach people in hard to access areas, as the rains flood sand roads turning them into impassable bogs.

The situation makes global contributions even more necessary, relief workers say.

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