Disaster looms in drought, flood prone areas

 A looming twin disaster amid the Covid-19 pandemic is brewing in drought and flood prone areas, Kenya Red Cross Society has warned.

The society’s Secretary General Dr Asha Mohammed said that the two natural disasters will occur concurrently.

This is in relation to a forecast from the Kenya Meteorological Department which the humanitarian agency says, “paints a picture of hope and gloom.”

However, there is some form of optimism among farmers as the forecast indicates average to above average rainfall in Western, Rift Valley, Coast and Central regions.

The rainfall, especially in the Western region, will negatively impact farming as farms will be flooded in rain water and livestock could be swept away.

Already, the humanitarian agency is responding to flash floods in around Lake Victoria and Tana Delta.

Households displaced

“Following heavy rains in Tana Delta a week ago, over 121 households were displaced,” said Dr Asha.

Counties in the North Eastern’s Arid and Semi-Arid belt will continue to experience below average rainfall, an extension of last year’s poor rainfall performance in the last quarter of the year when there is usually the short rains.

“This results in a revolving drought condition in the counties of Marsabit, Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir and Mandera,” explained Dr Asha.

The projection is likely to cause a dip in crop production and regeneration animal pasture in these areas. 

“This will affect food stocks and income earning opportunities, and declining livestock body conditions are expected to limit food and income access,” said Dr Asha.

Those counties’ food security is also threatened because of last year’s locust invasion. The locust swarm covers about 150 kilometres in a day, and, each kilometre they cover is equivalent to food that is enough for about 35,000 people in one day.

Food crisis

The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation last year tasked the Kenya Red Cross to assess the impact of the locust invasion.

If the impending food crisis is not salvaged beforehand, there will be an increase in the number of people who need urgent lifesaving support by about 93 per cent. This follows the release of a report by Kenya Food Security Steering Group whose findings indicated that over 1.4 million people are likely to face starvation.

Turkana, Marsabit and Mandera have been marked as on the red list for food insecure counties that need urgent interventions.

The Kenya Red Cross has also listed six other counties as part of their Alert Phase whose food security is on a downward trend. They are; Baringo, Isiolo, Kilifi, Garissa, Wajir and Tana River.

The agency on Friday released 530 tonnes of relief food to Marsabit County.  

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