Authorities gear for devastating drought

Rice from China, millet from India and purifying sea water are some of the stopgap measures Namibia is planning as it faces its worst drought in a century. Already one of the driest places in the world, the lack of rain has seen Namibia's national food reserves drop to at an all-time low of 16%, and jobs are at risk in an economy about one-quarter of which is made up of agriculture. If the rains don't come by October, ‘there could be disaster’, Agriculture Minister Calle Schlettwein told News24, adding that not even the capital will be safe. ‘We are working on sourcing water from as far as 400km to supply Windhoek,’ he said. Government is also pushing ahead with plans for a desalination plant. The UN last week launched an urgent appeal for help in Namibia's deepening hunger crisis. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that some 48% of Namibia's population is food insecure, the highest in the region. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water & Land Reform called on the government to declare the drought a national emergency in April, and President Nangolo Mbumba did so the following month. The US has announced a $5m additional humanitarian assistance package for ‘life-saving food assistance and nutrition support to the most vulnerable Namibian children and their caregivers.

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