(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency) United Nations Safar 12 1437 November 24 2015 SPA -- Flooding caused by El Nino could displace more than 100000 people in Ethiopia where more than 8 million people face a food crisis because of the worst drought since an infamous 1984 famine the United Nations warned Monday.
Failed rains during both the spring and summer have created food and water shortages in the East African country. The government and aid agencies say Ethiopia needs $600 million to address the crisis.
'El Nino has a dual impact on Ethiopia causing drought in the north central and eastern parts of the country and flooding in south and southeastern areas' the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report. 'At least 210600 people are expected to be affected by flooding and at least 105300 people risk displacement.'
Aid agencies say the number of people needing assistance in Ethiopia could rise to 15 million by early next year with 350000 children expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition by the end of 2015.
More than 600000 tons of wheat purchased by the Ethiopian government is expected to arrive in neighboring Djibouti this week the United Nations said.
Ethiopia which saw a 1984 famine kill hundreds of thousands of people now has one of the world's fastest growing economies and is far better equipped to deal with a new crisis experts say.
The El Nino weather phenomenon marked by warming sea-surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean causes extremes such as hot weather in some regions and heavy rains and flooding in others. Meteorologists expect El Nino to peak between October and January and to be one of the strongest on record.
--SPA
12:03 LOCAL TIME 09:03 GMT
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.