drought

UN issues stark warning on Pacific drought threat

The UN's Resident Coordinator, Osnat Lubrani, says communities and governments need to prepare now for the extreme weather changes El Niño usually triggers.

He says some countries are already implementing or drafting drought plans and the UN is ready to help co-ordinate this and to provide technical advice.

Over the coming months, countries on the equator can expect more rain, flooding and higher sea levels, presenting challenges for low-lying atolls already feeling the impacts of climate change.

Marshall Islands on drought alert

Almost the entire Pacific region is preparing for the onset of what climate forecasters predict could be one of the worst El Niño events since the late 1990s.

Our correspondent in the Marshall Islands, Giff Johnson, says the system has been building all year, with meteorologists there predicting a drought that could last for six to nine months.

He says the last El Niño-related drought in 1997 was devastating.

Oro villagers fear for food supplies as drought hits

Provincial DAL adviser Davidson Heune said communities along the coast are affected by the prolonged dry spell which is now running into months.

Heune said a disaster team, which comprises DAL officers, will start visiting villages affected by the drought, starting with coastal communities who are experiencing shortages of both garden foods and water.

Serembe farmer and educationist Clare Saese said the Higaturu area is having problems with water as creeks and water wells are drying up. She said if the situation continues, inland villages will encounter a water shortage.

Kerema hospital scales down operations

Operations have been scaled down and staff are only taking in emergency cases.

Director of Medical Services Michael Kasau says the hospital does not have piped water and depends on rain water.

The hospital has eight 10, 000 litre water tanks but the lack of rain over the last three months has stressed the water supply.

Estimated 600,000 people affected by El Nino

About 19 provinces have reported drought and frost for the Highlands, Telefomin District of Sandaun Province and Goilala in Central Province.

Six provinces in the Highlands region have all reported frost and drought impacting their food and water sources.

Simbu Province reported six deaths in the Waiye and Nilkande LLG of Kundiawa and Gembogl area.

Kundiawa hospital has scaled down its operations as it battles an outbreak of typhoid.

Some locals have resorted to charging people a fee for fetching water from local creeks.