Hunger and thirst has killed 29 people in Southwestern Somalia as the drought crisis in the country continues to deepen, an official has said.
According to the Minister of Interior of the Jubaland regional administration Mohamed Warsame Darwiish, the people died in Lower Jubba, Middle Juba and Gedo provinces.
In an interview with the VOA, he added that the severe drought has caused many people to leave their homes in rural areas to cities like Kismayo.
On Thursday, United Nations declared in neighbouring Kenya that thousands of people may die as a result of severe drought and some 1.5 million are in need of emergency aid.
Some of the hardest hit has been the nomadic pastoralists, who depend on their livestock for their livelihood. In the unrelenting drought, hundreds of livestock have starved to death due to lack of pasture and water.
Water shortages are a chronic problem in Somalia, mostly affecting the rural population. The water shortage has forced many residents to walk for many kiolmetres in search of clean water to drink.
The region has one of the country’s two rivers, that plays a key role in providing water and income for the local communities. But its water resources are under growing pressure from both human and climate impacts.
Horseed Media
29 people die of hunger and thirst in Southern Somalia
Published: March 31, 2016
