Seasonal rains may not be enough to end food insecurity

Meteorologists predict that seasonal rains normally expected in the Horn of Africa in March, may not be enough to end drought and food insecurity, a climate expert with Kenya's meteorological department has warned. "The dry conditions might be prolonged and most parts of the greater Horn of Africa, especially the eastern part of the greater Horn of Africa, may not experience sufficient rainfall for a long time," climate scientist Peter Omeny told IRIN. "By a long time, I mean that even the March-April-May rains might fail over most parts of eastern Africa." He said Kenya and many areas of the Horn of Africa, were experiencing low rainfall as a result of the La Nina phenomenon, the cooling of the ocean's surface in the Pacific that leads to lack of moisture. Omeny said the Pacific is the world's largest ocean, controlling three-quarters of the world's climate. The surface of the Indian Ocean was also cool, he said, and not much evaporation was taking place to create atomospheric moisture either. About 2.5 million people are estimated to be suffering from hunger in the eastern half of Kenya as a result of the failure of both rainy seasons there in 2005. Another 2 million people are said to be facing a food crisis in Somalia, and people are also facing food shortages in neighbouring areas of Ethiopia. Kenya's Meteorological Department published a statement in Kenyan newspapers on Thursday, saying that food relief efforts "may need to go beyond December 2006 in some parts of the country." The department said the dry spell had also created conditions conducive to fire outbreaks in forests, sugar plantations, game parks and slums.