NDMA warns of worsening drought conditions in nine Asal counties

A herder in Lowar village, Turkana County. [Mike Ekutan, Standard]

As the country braces for El Niño rains, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) has warned of deteriorating drought conditions in nine Asal counties.

NDMA has raised the alarm over deteriorating water, pasture and weather conditions in Turkana, Garissa, Baringo, and West Pokot counties which had moved into the "pre-alert" phase, while conditions in Nyeri, Kitui, Makueni, Tana River and Isiolo are also getting worse.

In its monthly report, the State agency said there was an early signal of deteriorating water, pasture and weather conditions that would require closer monitoring in the coming weeks.

“These phase classifications were informed by deviations in key environmental, production, access, and utilisation indicators from their normal seasonal thresholds,” reads the report in part.

The report further noted acute malnutrition remained a critical concern in Asals, driven by previous food insecurity, high morbidity levels, and sub-optimal child care practices.

“The risk of malnutrition has improved in ten counties while improvement in child nutrition in some regions was due to enhanced consumption of milk alongside ongoing nutritional outreach,” said NDMA.

NDMA said that the majority of Asan counties remained under the Normal drought phase during the last month with some regions recording minimal rainfall.

Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Samburu, Meru, Tharaka-Nithi, Narok, Kajiado, Makueni, Kitui, Tana River, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu were all classified as normal.

West Pokot, Turkana, Baringo and Garissa moved into the pre-alert phase, noting that this was an early signal of deteriorating conditions that would require closer monitoring.

“These localised rainfall events helped slow the deterioration of rangeland resources and, in some counties, contributed to improvements in drought indicators and early warning phase classification,” reads the report.

The report further noted that most Asal counties recorded favorable vegetation conditions, with the majority falling within the normal vegetation greenness category.

“Approximately one-quarter of the counties experienced deterioration in vegetation greenness, with most shifting from the above normal to the normal category,” reads the report.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health rolled out strategies and measures to address emergencies and disease outbreaks during the much-anticipated El Niño season.

Dr Andrew Toro, the Director for Curative Care and Nursing Services, said the government was on high alert to address any emergencies, including pandemics and trauma that could arise from El Niño rains.

 Dr Toro revealed that the public health docket had begun issuing warnings and critical public information to prepare the public for any eventuality and to support emergency control.

 “We are on high alert for the oncoming El Niño rainy season, and we are rolling out measures including sensitising the public to prepare for heavy rains,” he said.

The Director assured that the Health Ministry had sufficient reserves of medical supplies, including pharmaceuticals, and was preparing for emergencies and pandemics going forward.