28 January 2008
Nairobi — Little or no rain in Abudwaq district of the central Somali region of Galgadud has resulted in serious food and water shortages for thousands of residents, local administrative officials said.
"Almost all parts of the district are affected, with some losing between 60 and 70 percent of their livestock," Mohamed Awil Janagale, the district commissioner of Abudwaq, told IRIN on 28 January.
He said residents depended on livestock for their livelihoods, "and once that is gone they are not far behind".
The problem is most acute in the villages of Dhabad, Bali Ad, Galmeygag, Buulaley and Ari Adeys, Janagale added.
He said the Deyr (short rains), which usually fall in October-December, had been virtually non-existent.
A Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net) report issued on 10 January confirmed that the Deyr rains had been below normal in most parts of central Somalia, resulting in limited grassing for animals and reduced water availability.
Reports from the field in the past two weeks have indicated severe water shortages for both humans and animals in the central regions of Hiiraan and Galgadud and pockets of Bay and Bakool, it added.
Several nomadic families who lost livestock had started moving to Abudwaq town to seek help from relatives, he said.
Mohamed Adan Botan, an elder from Ari Adeys village, told IRIN he had lost 350 goats and sheep to the drought. "There is no pasture anywhere and water is even more scarce."
He said camels had also begun to die in his area. "Camels are the last to succumb to hunger and when they do it is the people that follow," he added.
Janagale said local authorities did not have the means to deal with the situation and were therefore appealing to the government and aid agencies to intervene before the situation deteriorated even further.
"If we don't get assistance soon it may be too late for some," he stressed. "Some of the populations have reached the stage where they are no longer able to cope," he warned.
He said people were unable to sell their animals in the market to buy food and water. "No one is buying livestock that is all skin and bones and that is the only thing they have."
He said food and fuel prices had more than doubled, putting them out of reach for many.
"For example, a drum of diesel [200l] has risen to US$235 from $150 a few months ago," Janagale said.
Abdirazaq Ahmed Warsame, a doctor in Abudwaq, said many children and pregnant and lactating mothers were presenting signs of malnourishment. He said most showed signs of "nutrition-related diseases such as pneumonia, anaemia and diarrhoea".
Trucking water to the most affected areas should be a priority, Janagale said. Some of the boreholes that were still functional needed fuel and pumps to enable them to operate at capacity.
He also said food distribution in the most seriously affected areas should be undertaken "as a matter of urgency" and possibly animal feed to save what is left of their livestock.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]
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