Southern Africa braces for El Nino

Southern African countries have drawn up a road map to prepare for the El Nino weather pattern expected to affect the region later this year and into early next year, officials say.

Representatives of 15 Southern African Development Community member states met in Johannesburg from Tuesday to Friday to assess preparedness and coordinate responses to the anticipated weather extremes. Forecasts point to drier conditions and drought in central and southern parts of the region, wetter conditions in the north and northeast, and possible cyclones along the coast.

Anderson Banda, director of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre, said the meeting aimed at assessing regional preparedness and establishing a road map for a contingency plan.

The countries agreed to develop detailed national contingency plans to identify vulnerable populations and measures to protect them, Banda said. The bloc will adopt a "multihazard approach" to address the risks of droughts and cyclones, he said.

"We have adopted an anticipatory action approach to ensure resources are mobilized to prepare for El Nino," he said in an interview. "We have to make sure the communities get information, we need a coordinated approach ... (and) we have to make sure that lives and the environment are protected."

SADC ministers will meet on Nov 11 and 12 in Gaborone, Botswana, to advance preparations for the anticipated extreme weather, he added.

Pumeza Tyali, director for disaster risk assessment and early warning at South Africa's National Disaster Management Centre, said the country has a contingency plan for El Nino, with government departments now ready for potential impacts.

The preparations aim to sustain agricultural production and ensure food security, she said. "We have developed an anticipatory strategy and are consolidating logistics to ensure we are prepared to have supply to respond to any eventuality."

Lewis Hove, leader of the Resilience Team at the Food and Agriculture Organization in Southern Africa, said preparations, including across sectors of society, are required.

El Nino could cause water shortages, forcing people and wild animals to share water sources and increasing the risk of disease transmission, including anthrax, said Hove, who also leads the Regional Anticipatory Action Working Group.

He urged farmers to be prepared to harvest and conserve water and called for measures to protect crops, livestock, fisheries and wildlife.

"We just need to look at all possible scenarios," he said, adding that the working group will be supporting member states with data needed to guide interventions at the community level.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.