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IRI Climate Digest   April 2001

Climate Impacts - March

Contributions to this page were made by IRI researchers Dr. A. Amissah-Arthur (Agriculture), Dr. K. Broad (Fisheries), Dr. M. Hopp (Health), Dr. B. Lyon (Energy), Dr. A. Seth (Hazards) and Dr. L. Zubair (Water Resources).

Hazards/Threats

Afghanistan and Pakistan Continued drought and war are worsening conditions in Afghanistan, where in the northeast the United Nations has warned that food stocks were nearing exhaustion. Many residents have resorted to eating animal fodder and many have eaten their seeds, making the prognosis for the next harvest particularly bleak. In Pakistan concerns are mounting about the failure of winter rains and severe shortages of irrigation water. In Punjab, where 75 percent of Pakistan wheat is produced, irrigation canals have only 15-20 percent of the water requirement. The provincial Government of Sindh, which accounts for 42 percent of the rice production, has banned sowing of rice in its major rice growing areas, due to the severe water shortage. (WFP; ReliefWeb)

Southern Africa In Mozambique flooding and evacuations in the Zambezi valley continued during March, although water levels in the Zambezi River were slowly decreasing towards the end of the month. The level of the Pungoe River rose further and the levels of the Save River and the Buzi River also increased due to heavy rain. OCHA reported that 235,000 people have been displaced. In Malawi heavy rains continued throughout the country, worsening the flooding in 13 of the 27 districts of the country. The latest figure stands at 334,985 affected people (66,997 households) and 14 deaths. Heavy rains in Zambia were being blamed for a sudden upsurge in malaria cases during March. In neighboring Zimbabwe, heavy rains produced continued flooding over large portions of the country, affecting over 30,0000 people. Northeastern sections of Zimbabwe were most adversely affected. (OCHA; World Vision; OCHA)

Hungary and Romania The Tisza, Szamos and Tur rivers caused flooding in Hungary, Romania and the Ukraine in March. Torrential rains and melting snow due to warmer than average temperatures were responsible for the floods. The flooded region is along the basin common to the 3 countries (NE Hungary, NW Romania and SW Ukraine). Damage in Romania was estimated at 26.6 million USD. (IFRC)

East Africa Belg (secondary) rains that were late in the onset and had poor performance at the beginning of the season have improved significantly - in amount and area covered - in the second and third dekads of March. Belg areas in which dry planting has been reported due to delayed onset, such as Hadiya, Welaita, Gamo Gofa, North Shewa, North and South Wello, are expected to benefit from the improved performance of rains. Overall there are improvements in the food security picture compared to this time last year. Ethiopia - with the largest population in the region - has a considerably better food availability picture, though a substantial number of people still remain vulnerable. Better than expected short-rains harvests in Kenya and Somalia have improved the situation there, and the Great Lakes countries also mostly show improvement. However, an increasingly severe drought in Sudan and a malaria epidemic in Burundi present difficulties; Kenya and Ethiopia remain among the three largest Emergency Operations of WFP currently underway. ( WFP; FAO Report)

Peru and Ecuador Heavy rains in Peru caused flooding in the Department of Puno, especially in the provinces of El Collao, Chucuito, San Roman, Puno, and Huancane, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency. The flooding began 1 March when rivers in the Titicaca basin burst their banks. According to reports, 31,500 people were affected with some 5,300 hectares of cultivated land lost. In neighboring Ecuador, President Gustavo Noboa said he planned to declare a state of emergency in the coastal city of Chone which was battered by floods that reportedly killed five people while displacing hundreds during the month. (OCHA)

Health

Brazil  During the first three months of this year, the number of dengue fever cases reported in the state of Amazonas (12,363) was almost 4 times higher than during the same period last year (3,261). Thirty-six cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever were also reported, with one fatality in a 10-year-old girl.  Increased rainfall, as well as a lapse in dengue control efforts, are believed to have contributed to higher mosquito densities.  (ProMED-port).

Water Resources/Energy

Brazil The city of Sao Paulo will begin water rationing in April due to an ongoing drought in the region. Drought has been affecting west-central, northeast and southeast Brazil since last year. Some reservoirs in drought-stricken areas stand at 35% of capacity. Drought in Brazil affects both water and power supplies, as 90 percent of the country's electricity comes from hydropower plants. (COMTEX)

Northwest United States The Pacific Northwest recorded the second-driest winter on record (the winter of 76-77 was the driest). There is concern for the effects of continued dry conditions on salmon runs and hydroelectric energy in the region. Portions of the Columbia River Basin may register river flow volume at its lowest since 1977. (PMA)

Agriculture

Australia Rain benefited pastures and immature summer crops across the southeast, but drier weather favored maturing cotton farther north. (JAWF)

South America Widespread showers boosted soil moisture for filling crops in Argentina, but otherwise slowed harvesting in Argentina and southern Brazil. (JAWF)

Middle East Light to moderate showers covered Turkey's winter wheat areas, although unseasonable warmth maintained high crop moisture requirements in other parts of the region. (JAWF)

Southeast Asia Heavy showers slowed fieldwork throughout Indochina, Malaysia, and Java, Indonesia. (JAWF)

Northwestern Africa A developing drought worsened conditions for winter grains in southern Morocco, while the third consecutive week of dryness increased stress on crops in Algeria and Tunisia. (JAWF)

Europe Rainfall in southeastern Europe benefited winter grains, while unfavorably wet weather persisted in northwestern Europe, postponing spring grain and early summer crop planting. (JAWF)

Material for this portion of the IRI Climate Information Digest has been extracted from the UN/OCHA Reliefweb (RW), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Doctors Without Borders (DWB), Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED), USDA/NOAA Joint Agricultural Weather Facility (JAWF) and the Fishmeal Exporters Organization (FEO). Additional information was obtained from the NOAA/OGP Climate Information Program, Red Cross/CNN/IBM Disaster Relief, Earth Alert, CNN, and the Power Marketing Association PMA.

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