By: Gerelyn Terzo of Sharemoney
The Horn of Africa region, comprising Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, is suffering from its most severe drought conditions in 40 years. A minimum of 36.1 million people across these nations have been affected, with these populations facing a worsening hunger crisis while livestock and crops are decimated.
The dry conditions are triggering food shortages too. As a result, wild animals and farmers are vying for the same scarce food and water that could be found, leaving them at odds with one another.
What is typically a rainy period for Kenya and bordering Ethiopia and Somalia has been dry for four straight seasons. And the current rainfall is also looking bleak. Some regions have seen more than 90% of their water sources disappear. Kenyans, often women and young girls, have to walk multiple kilometers in search of water only to find, in some cases, that the water isn’t safe for drinking.
While Kenya is finally starting to see some rainfall, it seems to be too little, too late. The country’s Meteorological Department predicts rain that is below average for the foreseeable future, which does not bode well for Kenyans or wildlife in the African nation.
In addition to Kenya, droughts have affected some 6.7 million Somalians as the country gets closer to experiencing famine in some areas. Severe drought in the bordering nation of Ethiopia is affecting over 24 million people.
The emergency started to unfold during the October-December 2020 season, followed by similar conditions in the March-May 2021 period. By mid-2021, the average rainfall in Kenya’s most arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) was more than halved, causing crops and livestock conditions to fail, resulting in malnutrition and a lack of access to basic groceries for Kenyan households.
In East Africa, some 1.5 million people have resorted to leaving their homes, hoping to find basics like food and water in a different region. People are starving, including children. UNICEF estimates that nearly 2 million children in the Horn of Africa are suffering from severe malnutrition.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has exacerbated the situation, triggering supply-chain constraints that have resulted in soaring prices for essential items, including bread, wheat flour, and cooking oil, to name a few.
The result has been catastrophic on many levels. Cattle have also become emaciated, and elephant carcasses fill the landscape due to the effects of the drought. Over 200 elephants, along with many other species, such as wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, and buffalo, have died in Eastern Africa since early 2022.
NASA scientists blame a one-two punch of climate change and the La Niña weather pattern near the equator for the drought. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared the drought a national disaster.
What appears to be happening in Kenya is that elephants are roaming away from their sanctuaries into the farms located in villages in search of food and water. These elephants often turn violent, attacking the locals who are trying to protect their crops. As a result, elephants are getting killed as farmers act either in self-defense or to retaliate against the large animals for entering their turf.
In all the destruction, there are some signs of life. Kenyan herder Letoyie Leroshi documented for the AP how he walked for nearly a week in search of water. The riverbeds had run dry after several years of persistent drought in Kenya’s Samburu County.
However, he managed to stumble upon some sand that appeared to be wet in the Ewaso Ng’iro riverbed. After gathering a group of herders to dig, they struck the water, causing a celebration to mark the poignant moment in their lives. Africa’s groundwater is a precious resource and can sustain a nation through half a decade of drought. But it is also hard to come by.
According to the UN water agency, approximately 400 million Africans lack adequate access to fresh water. The problem is that most of East Africa’s population, including Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, is not equipped to harness groundwater in a reasonable way and on a large enough scale.
Meanwhile, the drought conditions have wreaked havoc on Ewaso’s livestock, which has dwindled by the hundreds in recent dry years. Worse, if the rainy season doesn’t return soon, they are in danger of losing it all and must defend their livestock against poachers in the meantime.
Some Help Is on the Way
As Kenya and other countries in the region attempt to pick up the pieces, the international community is stepping up to help. Since May 2022, a “China-sponsored solar-powered borehole project” architected by Li Xia, CEO of China’s Shenzhen Solar Run Energy Co, has provided Kenyans with over 5 million liters of clean drinking water.
The solar company has also partnered with Kenya’s Project Maji to deliver water solutions to arid land in the country. It has equipped Kenya with the right tools to drill boreholes and establish solar-powered water wells throughout regions in Kenya. The solar technology is designed to help Kenyans living in the most remote areas who have been hit especially hard by the drought, representing between 60% and 70% of the population.
Locals do not have access to some of the resources available in the cities, leaving them vulnerable and dependent on rainwater alone. Underground water is a much more stable resource, which is why the Chinese company is helping them tap into it using solar electricity and deep wells, a model that has already worked in China.
Uncertainty Ahead
The UN warns that conditions in Eastern Africa could get worse before they get better. The number of people living in these countries who are hungry or acutely so has increased from 51 million a year ago to 82 million most recently, a nearly 60% rise in a short period of time.
While 2022 has been catastrophic for the Horn of Africa, there is no telling what next year will bring as long as a perfect storm of drought, supply chain constraints, and after-effects of the pandemic continue to threaten the region.