On World Food Day 2008 we
highlight the situation of some of the world’s 923 million undernourished people. Most live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. A combination of global warming, drought and
rising food prices is pushing the number of hungry people higher. In Somalia, conflict makes the problems yet more complex.The situation in SomaliaThe rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Somalia has left half its people in need of emergency aid â€" 77% higher than at the start of the year. This is
due to a destructive mix of extreme insecurity, drought and record-high food prices. More than one million people have been displaced by conflict and
lawlessness, and in the past few weeks, shelling in the capital Mogadishu has forced around 18,000 people from their homes. Some of Mogadishu’s residents are too poor to flee
â€" spiralling inflation has meant price increases for food and water of up to 1,600 per cent. “In the past six months food has become expensive because of inflation and
drought â€" inflation is running at 600% now,†says Abdirarazak Said, Merlin’s Logistics Officer in Puntland. “Also, there are lots more
people to feed because of the displacement from the south.â€One in six children under five is acutely malnourished in parts of Somalia.
Some parts of the country are now off-limits to aid, and critical health and nutrition work has been suspended. Aid workers are increasingly targets for assassination and kidnap.Merlin in Somalia Access for Merlin is a problem. Since a bomb explosion in May, there has been no access for humanitarian flights and
delivering emergency supplies is difficult. Against this difficult backdrop, we are still responding. The biggest challenge at the moment is an outbreak of acute
watery diarrhoea (AWD) in Puntland, where Merlin is the lead agency for certain aspects of health work. The outbreak began in Bossaso and has now spread to other
areas. Merlin is providing equipment and supplies, such as chlorination tablets, and is supporting the Ministry of Health to find staff to distribute supplies and carry out health education
activities. The number of AWD cases in Bossaso rose to 300 during the week, with six related deaths reported. AWD is rampant in Somalia at the onset of the rainy
seasons (September to December and mid-April to mid-June) due to contamination of water reservoirs. The authorities said they are in need of supplies and equipment up to a value of $21,000.
“We have had calls from villages saying that things are worsening,†adds Abdirarazak Said. “The local
authorities and all the agencies working in the area including Merlin have made a plan to work together and reach remote areas to chlorinate the water and raise awareness of hygiene â€"
it’s people’s lack of knowledge about the importance of hygiene which is causing a lot of the problem. We are raising awareness about improving hygiene behaviour
through mass media, including local radio.â€
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A 9-month-old child, who suffers from kidney stones, receives medical treatment at a hospital in Hefei, Anhui province October 16, 2008. China's dairy heartland promised it has banished a toxic chemical ...
