El Niño Sows Death, Destruction In Africa; South Africa Water Restrictions Over Drought

About 350,000 Ethiopian children have severe malnutrition, Unicef said, meaning that they are likely to die without therapeutic feeding. Image by: Buddhika Weerasinghe / Getty Images

About 11million children in eastern and Southern Africa face hunger, disease and water shortages due to the strongest El Niño weather phenomenon in decades, the UN children's fund (UNICEF) said.

Food and water shortages brought about by drought and floods are causing malnutrition, which increases vulnerability to killer diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea, cholera and dengue fever.

"The consequences could ripple through generations unless affected communities receive support," UNICEF said, referring to stunting, which affects children getting too little protein, vitamins and minerals in their food. Stunted children have poor cognitive development and health, achieve less at school and, as adults, earn less than children who had adequate nutrition, studies show.

Reuters reports continues:

El Niño has caused drought in parts of Africa, including Malawi and Zimbabwe. Worst-affected is Ethiopia, which has the second-biggest population in Africa and is suffering its most severe drought in 30 years.

More than 8million Ethiopians need food aid and this could rise to 15million by early next year, the UN said.

About 350,000 Ethiopian children have severe malnutrition, UNICEF said, meaning that they are likely to die without therapeutic feeding.

In Somalia flash floods have destroyed thousands of makeshift homes and destroyed crops. The number of people in need of life-saving aid is well over 3.2million.

Some cattle have died in parts of KwaZulu Natal province because of the drought (Image credits: EPA)

Meanwhile media reports say the authorities in South Africa's commercial capital, Johannesburg, have implemented some water restrictions which will compel consumers and businesses to control water usage.

This comes as South Africa is going through its worst drought since 1982.

The restrictions include a call for no watering gardens from 6am-6pm, no filling of pools and bath tubs and no use of hosepipes to wash cars.

Authorities say non-compliance could lead to stricter restrictions which would involve cutting water supply at certain periods. 

The Mfolozi River in KwaZulu Natal has largely dried up (Image credits: AFP)

More than 2.7 million households around the country have been affected by water shortages, according to the authorities.

The government has already allocated US$26m to KwaZulu-Natal, one of the worst hit provinces, in a bid to mitigate the impact of the drought that has been blamed on the El Nino weather pattern. El Nino is expected to also impact other parts of southern Africa.