By OLUYEMI ISRAEL
A new report from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center, and the International Drought Resilience Alliance warns that droughts have become slow-moving global catastrophes.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw calls drought “a silent killer” that sneaks up on communities, while NDMC Director Dr. Mark Svoboda describes today’s dry spells as the worst he’s ever seen.
Researchers tracked drought impacts between 2023 and early 2025, drawing on earlier data, like the 43,000 deaths in Somalia from drought-related hunger in 2022, to show how this crisis has been building for years. Eastern and Southern Africa face the harshest conditions, with Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Somalia suffering the most.
Rising temperatures from climate change, combined with overused water resources, have turned what used to be seasonal dry periods into extended emergencies. Soils bake without moisture, crops wither, and livestock starve.
In Zimbabwe, the corn harvest plunged by 70 percent in 2024, and 9,000 cattle died of thirst and hunger. In Zambia, the Zambezi River fell to just 20 percent of its normal flow, forcing the Kariba Dam to generate only 7 percent of its usual power, and triggering blackouts of up to 21 hours a day.
Millions of people now face acute hunger and water shortages. Hospitals, bakeries, and factories have shut down because they can’t run without electricity or water. As one expert put it, this is not just a dry spell, it’s a creeping disaster that destroys lives, farms, and ecosystems in its path.
The report urges immediate action: build stronger early-warning systems that track drought in real time, restore watersheds and plant native crops, and develop resilient infrastructure like off-grid solar pumps and rainwater-harvesting systems. It also calls for global cooperation on shared rivers and trade routes to ensure food and water can move where they’re needed most.
If we act now, investing in nature-based solutions, better monitoring, and cross-border teamwork, we can protect communities, farms, and natural habitats before the next drought strikes. The warning is clear: prepare today or pay a heavier price tomorrow.