water

Nearly 3 million people across Afghanistan are facing severe food shortages as a result of drought, Oxfam warned today as it called on donor governments to act now before the crisis becomes a catastrophe.

International agency Oxfam is airlifting 47 tonnes of vital water supply and hygiene materials to Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, as the aid community scales up its effort to bring relief to the drought-stricken country.

Actress Kristin Davis has been visiting the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya with Oxfam, to see the devastating impact of the drought. More than 10 million people are facing desperate food shortages in the worst food crisis of the 21st century.

Today, the world produces enough to feed all seven billion of its inhabitants – but nearly a billion people still go without.

The number of people affected by the flood emergency in Colombia has risen by 50,000 people in the last two weeks, bringing the total number affect to more than 2,100,000 said international agency Oxfam today.

Oxfam’s Water and Sanitation advisor Raphael Mutiku said:

In response to the cholera outbreak in central Haiti, Oxfam has mobilized a team of five emergency specialists to set up water, sanitation and hygiene programs for an estimated 100,000 people in a heavily affected zone.

Oxfam called for additional funding for the 2008 Cyclone Nargis survivors in Myanmar today, saying the upcoming monsoon season is posing a serious threat to their recovery with shelter still a pressing need and agriculture at risk.

Water is an essential element for people every day – for drinking, cooking, farming and more.