Averting drought crisis

                                                                                                      Tesfay Lemma

Ethiopians faced various natural and manmade challenges in the past two decades. Eritrea’s aggression, internal instability and the drought are some of the major challenges. Of these, the later is the current challenge that Ethiopians have been struggling to withstand it meaningfully.

It differs from similar challenges in the previous periods in many reasons. One could be the fertile political, social and economical grounds that the country has already created in managing the current food crises. In this regard,  the fast and sustainable economic growth that the country has registered in the past twenty five years, particularly in the first Growth and Transformation Plan in which a number of huge development projects have come to reality raising the potential of the country to build a multi-billion USD projects.

The current drought in Ethiopia has affected some 10.2 million people in 2015/6. However that huge number was reduced to 5.6 million this year. In fact, this is the result of the consolidated efforts by the Federal and Regional states along with the cooperation of the entire people and development partners.

The Ethiopian government now seeks about 950 million USD to feed its people affected by the drought in 2017.   International organizations along with government teams have assessed the current drought disaster that the group has moved to all the drought affected areas and assessed what is currently going on there and what should be needed in the coming year, 2017.

National Disaster Risk Management Commission announced that an envoy categorized in 23 groups has recently surveyed the drought vulnerable areas. These groups have observed about 250 woredas and assured that there are currently about 5.6 million people who badly deserve food aid in 2017.

According to the report of the commission, of the total number of people who need food assistance,  36 percent are in Oromiya, 29 percent in Somali, 11 percent in Amhara and the remaining  24 percent are in the pastoralist areas.

For this, the federal government along with regional states has already allocated 75 million USD for food, water, medicine and animal fodder to withstand the drought. The government has been focusing on two major tasks. Firstly, keeping and maintaining the effect of the drought to zero death risk. This has successfully undergoing. So far, no one died due to the impact of the drought.  Secondly, the government has been watching their sole wealth, cattle.

The government is intensively working to minimize the death of animals in the pastoral areas. However, this is not 100 percent effective. A number of animals died due to the impact of the drought. While the government paid its entire attention to save the lives of the people, reports indicated that there were some animal deaths.

The commission has been working cooperatively with Ministry of Livestock and Fishery Development in order to encourage the people to sell their cattle. The attempt is to buy the cattle at reasonable prices and then sell back to them at the same price when they will be in a good condition. It is one of the crucial issues that the government has been doing to assist the people in the areas where the drought is so severe.

The government has spent 16.5 billion birr to tackle the El-Nino effects so far that the country has allocated that huge sum of money as it is now in a new phase which is different from what it was some three decades ago.

Over the last twenty five years, Ethiopia has had remarkable economic growth, with real gross domestic product growth averaging 10.9 percent in 2004-2014. The country’s growth has been stable and rapid, according to Ethiopia Humanitarian Requirements 2016. 

This is one of the major undeniable reasons that enabled the country to withstand the drought disaster manifesting the death risks to zero. It’s so historical to the people in the country’s drought history.

Historical documents indicated that the country had experienced a severe drought in 1983-1985. It was absolutely out of the hands of the government. As a result it caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people. 

In the contrary to those past droughts, the current drought never claimed the death of anyone so far. This is because of the fact that   both economic and political enabling condition have created in the past twenty five years that have attributed significantly to manage the current crises as a result of the consolidated endeavors commenced to ensure sustainable economic progress.

Currently the number of people who need food assistance is reduced to 5.6 million from 10.2 million. The country needs more than 950 million USD for food and non-food assistances in 2017, which is much lower than the 1.4 billion USD allocated in 2016.  The Government has already allocated additional 75 million USD.   

The Federal Government, Regional Governments and the people have been exerting consolidated efforts not only to uphold the death risks of the drought to zero but also to maintain the wealth of the people in areas affected by drought through providing grazing areas to them. People in the neighboring areas of that are not affected by the drought allowed their brothers and sisters in nearby areas affected by the drought to immigrate their cattle to their grazing areas.  

Previously, health problems were the aggravating factors that contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. There were no enough health institutions and professionals even to help the people from communicable diseases.

But the country has now well developed capacity to control health related issue as there are health posts and centers in every village and districts staffed with a number of health professionals. This has contributed to prevent could help in prevent death risks from epidemics and communicable diseases that are major aggravator deaths in areas impacted by drought disaster.

The government of Ethiopia has given a priority attention and commitment to the drought since the very beginning. It has been wisely guiding, handling and maintaining the negative effects of the drought.

As the same time,  the people have been collaborating with the government in various ways that could add values in saving the lives of the people in areas hit by the disaster. People residing in the nearby areas have been voluntarily giving accommodation to people who displaced with their cattle.  Besides, the haves in each region have been helping the victims.

The government, the people and the development partners have come together in averting the negative impact of the severe drought. They collaborated with respective regional governments and managed to assist people residing in areas vulnerable to the drought disaster.  That is why no death has registered so far in connection to the severe drought.

Now that the number of people who need food assistance is reduced to 5.6 million and the government along with its partners has been continuing assisting them.

Therefore, the Ethiopian government has managed to meaningfully withstand the ever severe drought with minimal effects on the cattle and without any loss of lives. 

It will further strengthening its efforts in 2017. This really witnesses the country’s development and wealth accumulation in the past twenty five year. Its efforts and the results registered in alleviating poverty and ensuring sustainable economic development has greatly contributed the country from collapsing in such disasters so that the country managed to avert the drought with minimal effect on the people in areas affected with the drought.