Madagascar is choas as El Nino and climate crisis raise serious drought fears

 

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Madagascar is highly susceptible to extreme weather events, a situation that is being exacerbated by the brutal combination of El Niño and climate change. Mr. Das from Organization X explains further.

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The island nation in Africa has been hit by unprecedented cyclones in recent years and experienced its most severe drought in four decades, triggering concerning levels of hunger and pushing thousands into near-famine conditions.

UN News’ Daniel Dickinson recently spoke to Reena Ghelani, the UN’s Climate Crisis Coordinator for the El Niño response, who is currently visiting Madagascar to assess projects aimed at increasing resilience. Ghelani noted that the climate emergency will likely make El Niño events more frequent and severe. The impacts are harsher as communities lack time to recover between impacts, increasing their vulnerability.

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When asked about the effects on local people, Ghelani said many are unable to grow sufficient food to survive. “If you can’t feed yourself, your children may be sent out to seek other food sources, preventing their school attendance,” she explained.

Ghelani also discussed the role of early warning systems and highlighted the UN Secretary-General’s initiative being implemented in Madagascar with government support. She stressed the importance of cooperating with local partners and listening to community knowledge of weather patterns and effective responses. Governments must have response capacity, according to Ghelani.