TWO small children have died of malnutrition in Tanna, there are seven deaths of children under 12 in Santo that may be linked to the drought and no water is available during the day in Luganville. Those are some of the consequences of the early stages of the mega El Niño drought in Vanuatu.
Much of the country is now affected and in the worst areas there is simply no water at all and often very little food. The worst hit islands are Tanna, Tongua, Santo, Nguna, Pele and the Shepherds group. Outside of the main towns people are leaving their homes to search for water sources to survive the drought. Government officials said it is becoming harder for people to access water on some of the islands as common water sources are drying out.
“Clean drinking water will be harder to fetch and less available and cattle and crops are already suffering,” said one government officer. This looks like being a bigger disaster than Pam and it is much more widespread.” The director of Geology, Mines and Water Resources, Erickson Sammy, the leader of the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) cluster that was doing assessments across the country, said they had submitted a response plan to the National Disaster Management Office to help seek funds.
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