Environment

Drought Crisis Intensifies Across Multiple Regions of Ethiopia

Wazema · last week · Read the Full Story on Wazema

AI SUMMARY

A severe drought driven by delayed and insufficient seasonal rainfall is causing widespread crop failures, livestock deaths, and humanitarian crises across the Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, and Afar regions of Ethiopia.

Delayed and insufficient rainfall during the past rainy season has caused a severe drought affecting the Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, and Afar regions.
In the Amhara region's Wag Himra zone, over 6,000 livestock have died in Ziquala district alone, while more than 15,000 others were moved in search of water and fodder.
Wag Himra displacement has forced families to migrate to Wello, Bahir Dar, Debre Birhan, and Addis Ababa, where displaced children and families are sheltering on streets in the Mekanisa area.
Student enrollment in the three Tselemti districts of North Gondar dropped by 50 percent due to the drought impact on education, with no government support received by September 5, 2019 (Ethiopian Calendar).
In West Hararghe's Hawi Gudina district, Oromia, farmers report that four consecutive years without sufficient rainfall have completely destroyed crops and exhausted drinking water.
Adami Tulu Jido Kombolcha district in East Shewa has suffered complete failures of maize, bean, and wheat crops due to total dependence on the failed rainy season.
In Tigray's Irob district, five traditional water sources have dried up, and two people have died from hunger in Agarale kebele.
Families in severely affected areas of West Hararghe, Raya Azebo, and Afar are resorting to marrying off underage daughters to wealthier individuals or urban residents as a survival strategy.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that over 48.5 million people in East Africa need urgent aid, with over 40 million facing acute food insecurity.
The FAO and Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission identified 114 districts at high risk of drought and appealed for 50 million dollars to support 4.66 million people from June 2026 to March 2027.
Climate researcher Dr. Diriba Koricha warned that the current El Niño event could trigger severe flooding, cholera, malaria outbreaks, and Rift Valley Fever affecting both humans and livestock.

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