Walita malnutrition rates “alarming”

Severe malnutrition levels in Walita, North Omo, are “alarming”, humanitarian sources told IRIN. A Concern-led team in Damot Weyde reported that over 1,000 children were identified as in need of therapeutic feeding, and about 2,500 of supplementary feeding. It reported 30 percent severe malnutrition. This was in contrast with a Concern nutritional study in April which had found a 4 percent severe malnutrition rate. Concern believes that the huge increase is a result of many of the children who were moderately malnourished rapidly deteriorating to under 70 percent weight-for-height. Aid workers say only one area has been monitored, suggesting other areas in Walita may be as severely affected. Two therapeutic feeding centres had been planned as a result of the April survey, but Concern anticipates it may now need up to 6-10 centres. Three consecutive poor harvests and failure of the recent Belg rains have led to the present food security crisis, the Concern nutritional survey noted.

Walita was the original epicentre of the 1984 famine and suffered another severe food crisis in 1994. It is one of the most densely populated regions in Ethiopia and has a high concentration of NGO activities. Concern withdrew from the area in 1998, in line with a government policy under which NGOs were expected to work in an area for a maximum of five years before handing over programmes to local authorities and local NGOs. Precarious as a “food insecure area”, it has been called the area of “green famine” because, despite its fertile landscape, it is the most densely populated region - with over 700 people per square kilometre - with small land holdings, serious soil erosion and a dependency on rain fed agriculture.