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| Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa declares national disaster over drought | Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa declares national disaster over drought |
| (about 1 hour 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 recently declared states of disasters due to drought. | |
| Some fear that the drought sweeping southern Africa will be one of the worst in decades. | |
| The World Food Programme said 13.6 million people are currently experiencing crisis level of food insecurity in the region. | |
| "Top on our priority is securing food for all Zimbabweans. No Zimbabwean must succumb to or die from hunger," Mr Mnangagwa told journalists. | |
| Zimbabwe is already grappling with high inflation driven by food prices. | |
| The country now joins the regional scramble to find enough maize on the international market. | |
| The lack of rain induced by the El Nino global weather pattern 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. |
| The worst drought in living memory occurred in 1992, when a quarter of the national cattle herd perished. | |
| But the dry spells have returned with increasing frequency. Droughts were declared in 2016 and again in 2019. | |
| 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 is El Niño and how does it change the weather? |
| What you should know about climate change in Africa | What you should know about climate change in Africa |
| How to survive living in a cyclone zone | 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 |