The United Nations increased its aid appeal for Zimbabwe to $331.5 million to help it recover from drought that has driven millions to the brink of starvation as well as a cyclone that hit eastern regions earlier this year. Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the drought a national disaster.
The El Nino-induced drought cut the maize harvest by half and is responsible for low water levels at the biggest hydro plant Kariba that has reduced power generation and triggered rolling power cuts. The drought comes with Zimbabweans enduring the worst economic crisis in a decade - prices of staples such as sugar, cooking oil and rice have more than doubled since June, jacking up inflation to 175.66%
David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, said 2.3 million people in rural Zimbabwe need emergency food aid now and the figure would increase to 5.5 million during the lean season up to March next year. The government estimates another 2.2 million people in urban areas also require food aid, bringing the total to 7.7 million, more than half of the population.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube explained, "The impact of weather goes beyond the vulnerable, it is affecting production in the manufacturing sector, agriculture and everywhere, and this is an impact again that was not anticipated."
"We are talking about people who truly are marching towards starvation if we are not here to help them," Beasley told diplomats, aid agencies and government officials at the launch of Zimbabwe's humanitarian appeal to international donors. "We are facing a drought unlike any that we have seen in a long time. We don't have the luxury of fiddling while Rome burns."
No comments:
Post a Comment