The 2015-2016 El Niño resulted in life-threatening extreme weather in many countries around the world. • Four districts; Maseru, Mohale’ Hoek, Quthing and Qacha’s Nek classified in IPC Phase 3. • Erratic weather conditions have impacted on a number of sectors, including Agriculture and Food Security, However, access to markets is currently limited for very poor and poor households due to low incomes. Drought impacts and vulnerability •Drought risk is based on a combination of the frequency, severity, and spatial extent of drought and the degree to which a population or activity is vulnerable to the effects of drought. English Situation Report on Lesotho about Agriculture, Coordination, Children, Women, Drought and more; published on 02 May 2019 by UN RC in Lesotho In April, households typically begin earning income from selling green crops such as beans and groundnuts, however this is now unlikely due to the poor season. Temperatures were also recorded as normal to above-normal. The majority of households in Lesotho are currently relying on markets to access food as food stocks have been exhausted. • The situation is expected to deteriorate further and around 430,410 rural people are expected to be severely food insecure with all the districts classified in phase 3- emergency food insecurity Integrated Phase Classification in October 2019 to March 2020. This report is produced by the Office of the Resident Coordinator in Lesotho in collaboration with humanitarian partners. RW COVID-19 page: Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses. However, for the period April-May 2019, below-normal rainfall and normal to above-normal temperatures are forecast, increasing the possibility of a negative impact on the winter planting and harvest (see Graph 2). If you set up a long line of dominoes on the floor and knock the first domino in the line over, it will cause the second domino in the line to fall and hit the third, which will fall and hit the fourth, and so on. The other districts were projected to remain in IPC Phase 2 (Stressed) (see Map 1). During the harvesting period, May to July, households are most likely to begin accessing incomes from agriculture labour, however this is expected to be significantly below average due to anticipated poor harvest. Open job opportunities in the humanitarian field. This report is produced by the Office of the Resident Coordinator in Lesotho in collaboration with humanitarian partners. February is the peak of the wet season and vegetation typically fully regenerates. • Food prices are currently stable but they are likely to rise as local demand increases due to the poor harvest and supply-side constraints, specifically higher prices at source markets in South Africa take effect. However, some of the districts reported a high percentage of households using unprotected water sources. •The degree of a region’s vulnerability depends on the environmental and social characteristics of Understanding how drought affects you or your community or business is crucial, because then you can figure out why drought creates those effects, and what you may be able to do about them. RW COVID-19 page: Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses. The effects of HIV/AIDS – with a prevalence rate estimated at around 8.3 per cent translates into several negative effects on the land-use patterns of affected households, English Situation Report on Lesotho about Agriculture, Coordination, Drought and more; published on 08 Oct 2019 by UN RC in Lesotho Farmers in California are heavily dependent on irrigation to grow crops like alfalfa, rice, cotton, and many fruits and vegetables. Find help on how to use the site, read terms and conditions, view the FAQs and API documentation. Latest humanitarian reports, maps and infographics and full document archive. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all. According to Lesotho Meteorological Services, the rains for season 2019/20 are likely to delay. Cases of migration, sexual violence, child labour and child marriage were also reported as a result of the deteriorating humanitarian situation. Drought Causes. The worst drought in recent years was from 1981 to 1987 followed by 1990 to 1995. Access your account or create a new one for additional features or to post job or training opportunities. The rapid assessment also highlighted that the majority of households have adequate access to water through normal (88%) and alternative sources (12%). With 97.2% of NSW in drought, concerns about water supplies are not confined to the outback. The longer a drought lasts, the greater the harmful effects it has on people. Poor vegetation conditions are also affecting livestock pastures which is likely to have a severe impact from as early as July 2019 as pastures are expected to deteriorate earlier than normal. Moreover, 83% of households were using improved sanitation, showing an increase from the previous year. The assessment also highlighted that, for children under 5 years of age, the national prevalence of stunting was 35% while the prevalence of wasting stood at 3.5%. • In the projected period April-May 2019, LMS forecasted below-normal rainfall and normal to above-normal temperatures, increasing the possibility of a negative impact on the winter planting and harvest. 407,191 Other social impacts include abandonment of cultural traditions, loss of homelands, changes in lifestyle, and increased chance of health risks due to poverty and hygiene issues. More than a quarter of the population of Lesotho, a small country entirely surrounded by South Africa, […] Open job opportunities in the humanitarian field. Open training opportunities in the humanitarian field. The VAA findings also showed that the majority of households had adequate water supply through communal taps (52%), private borehole (29%), protected springs (5%) and unprotected sources (8%). Wildlife needing wetlands for breeding (for example, ducks and geese) experience drought as a decline in available nesting sites. Agricultural areas in northern Namibia and southern Angola have also experienced high levels of water deficit. Livestock body conditions will likely not fully recover from this year’s lean season, which will not only affect livestock prices, but also the quantity and quality of wool and mohair produced from sheep and goats. Access your account or create a new one for additional features or to post job or training opportunities. Mohale’s Hoek, Maseru, Quthing and Qacha’s Nek. Furthermore, 640,000 people areas are projected to be food insecure during the period July 2019-June 2020 and this projection will be confirmed by the upcoming annual VAA scheduled for May-June 2019. It is issued by the Humanitarian Country Team. Maize meal prices are likely to increase due to increases in local demand (from the poor harvest) as well as an increase in prices from the source markets in South Africa (see Graph 1). Mega-drought Toward that end, David Kaniewski, an archaeologist at the University of Paul Sabatier-Toulouse in France, and his colleagues collected ancient sediment cores from Larnaca Salt … Observations from the ground also confirm poor crop conditions, with stunted and pre-mature tasselling crops with the majority of the maize crop still at vegetative stage due to the delayed rains. Intensive livestock producers managed to maintain production during 2015. Well, to find out, let's think about dominoes. In the period October to December 2019 the country is expected to receive normal rains with the possibility of below normal rains. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all. In November 2018, LVAC updated the IPC analysis to review the number of food insecure people and their locations, developing new scenarios and assumptions for planning purposes. Learn more about ReliefWeb, leading online source for reliable and timely humanitarian information on global crises and disasters since 1996. However, the weakening product-to-feed ratio, driven by the higher maize and … In general, drought is a temporal reduction of environmental moisture status relative to the mean state. List of alerts, ongoing and past disasters covered by ReliefWeb. However, a 60-70 per cent likelihood of a moderate El Niño event prevailing in the coming months has been reported which will potentially lead to persisting dry conditions in the country with consequences in terms on food security. Find help on how to use the site, read terms and conditions, view the FAQs and API documentation. OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. The effects of drought are widespread and have devastating effects on the environment and the society as a whole. In December, the Government of Lesotho declared a state of emergency and appealed for help from the international community. The chain effect of drought will continue in the form of inflation as a result of declining rice production. Drought can bring lots of physical change in environment. According to the latest update of the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET), the 2018/2019 rainfall season started over a month late with cumulative below average rainfall to date. List of organizations that are actively providing ReliefWeb with content. The review considers three types of drought15:meteor-ological drought (months or years with below normal precipitation), agricultural drought (periods when dry Water use is part and parcel of almost every human activity as well as the life of plants and animals. It has long lasting effects … A copublication of the Agence Française de DĂŠveloppement and the World Bank Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lesotho, Lesotho Flash Appeal, November 2019 - April 2020, Lesotho: Drought Situation Update 01 (as of 2 May 2019), Mozambique Situation Report, 30 October 2020. Hence, approaches to Affected people in rural areas (IPC 3 or higher), 80,666 Learn more about ReliefWeb, leading online source for reliable and timely humanitarian information on global crises and disasters since 1996. Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lesotho, Lesotho Flash Appeal, November 2019 - April 2020, Lesotho: Drought Situation Update 02 (as of 8 October 2019), Mozambique Situation Report, 30 October 2020. Moreover, 83% of households have access to improved sanitation. As in the previous El Niño-related drought emergencies, the current monitoring report from UNICEF and WFP indicates an increase in child protection issues among communities impacted by the drought including an increase in the number of separated and unaccompanied children left behind by their parents/caregivers who are migrating to South Africa or within Lesotho’s urban areas. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), some droughts are simply caused by a sustained and persistent … Open training opportunities in the humanitarian field. The ongoing drought in Lesotho gives a glimpse into a future affected by climate change. The area naturally experiences alternating wet and dry seasons. Of the 12% households using alternative sources, 36% use unprotected wells/springs, 19% use communal/public taps, 13% use protected wells/springs, 11% use private borehole and 21% use public borehole and other sources. IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) outcomes likely to persist due to delayed and below-average harvest. The effects of drought ripple through economic sectors, communities, and ecosystems, leaving a variety of impacts in its wake. This climatic condition can cause disastrous impact on the environment as well as the living beings. 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