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| Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa declares national disaster over drought | Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa declares national disaster over drought |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The president has said the country needs $2bn to address the effects of the drought | The president has said the country needs $2bn to address the effects of the drought |
| Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a national disaster to tackle the prolonged drought crisis. | Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a national disaster to tackle the prolonged drought crisis. |
| Mr Mnangagwa said on Wednesday the country needs $2bn (£1.6bn) to tackle hunger caused by low rainfall which has wiped out about half of the maize crop. | Mr Mnangagwa said on Wednesday the country needs $2bn (£1.6bn) to tackle hunger caused by low rainfall which has wiped out about half of the maize crop. |
| The grain shortage has pushed up food prices and an estimated 2.7 million people will face hunger. | The grain shortage has pushed up food prices and an estimated 2.7 million people will face hunger. |
| Neighbouring Zambia and Malawi have also declared states of disasters due to drought recently. | Neighbouring Zambia and Malawi have also declared states of disasters due to drought recently. |
| The drought is a result of the El Nino global weather pattern and has triggered a humanitarian crisis in southern Africa. | The drought is a result of the El Nino global weather pattern and has triggered a humanitarian crisis in southern Africa. |
| "No Zimbabwean must succumb or die from hunger," Mr Mnangagwa told journalists. | |
| Zimbabwe now joins the regional scramble to find enough maize on the international market. | Zimbabwe now joins the regional scramble to find enough maize on the international market. |
| The lack of rain has also affected electricity production, as Zimbabwe relies on hydroelectric power, reports the AFP news agency. | |
| Zimbabwe was once the breadbasket of southern Africa, but in recent years has suffered bouts of severe drought affecting crop and cattle. | Zimbabwe was once the breadbasket of southern Africa, but in recent years has suffered bouts of severe drought affecting crop and cattle. |
| This is Zimbabwe's worst drought since 2019. | This is Zimbabwe's worst drought since 2019. |
| As now, neighbouring countries were also affected and at the time, Zambia's former President, Edgar Lungu, said it was "a stark reminder of what climate change is doing to our environment". | As now, neighbouring countries were also affected and at the time, Zambia's former President, Edgar Lungu, said it was "a stark reminder of what climate change is doing to our environment". |
| Not all droughts are due to climate change, but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. | Not all droughts are due to climate change, but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. |
| The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. | The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. |
| You may also be interested in: | You may also be interested in: |
| What is El Niño and how does it change the weather? | |
| What you should know about climate change in Africa | |
| How to survive living in a cyclone zone | |
| A simple guide to Zimbabwe | A simple guide to Zimbabwe |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Drought | Drought |
| El Niño | El Niño |
| Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe |