The Mandrare river, now a dried up river bed, Amboasary Antsimo, Anosy region, Madagascar, September 2021. Credit: WaterAid/Ernest Randriarimalala
The Mandrare river, now a dried up river bed, Amboasary Antsimo, Anosy region, Madagascar, September 2021. Credit: WaterAid/Ernest Randriarimalala Vast swathes of Africa have experienced more frequent and intense episodes of drought since 1983, new research has uncovered. Research commissioned by WaterAid saw Cardiff University expert Professor Michael Singer join forces with colleagues from the University of Bristol to shine a new light on trends in East Africa, Southern Africa and Central Africa. Using data on population exposure in combination with the drought trends, the team found that the five worst-hit drought countries are Somalia, Sudan, South Africa, South Sudan and Namibia. Their analysis shows there has been an increase in the annual number of dry and severely dry months in these African regions, as well as an increase in the percentage of their landmass experiencing drought between 1983-2021. Some African countries - including South Africa, Namibia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - saw an increase of up to 40 percent of their landmass impacted by drought in the decade to 2021, compared to three decades ago. Currently the Horn of Africa, which includes Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, is in its fifth consecutive failed rainy season since the end of 2020, which has plunged millions of people into severe food insecurity.
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