Viviane Rakotoarivony

Photographer
 
Drought in the South of Madagascar
Public Project
Drought in the South of Madagascar
Copyright Viviane Rakotoarivony 2024
Date of Work Dec 1969 - Ongoing
Updated May 2023
Location Madagascar
Topics Spotlight
Madagascar's deep south is frequently subject to periods of severe drought, creating recurrent food shortages in the region. This is the worst drought in four decades. It is impacting crops and hindering people's access to food. Unprecedented sandstorms have turned vast tracts of fertile land into wasteland. Rain is scarce, access to clean water is non-existent outside the cities, and water points are far away and unsanitary. Some inhabitants travel more than 15 km to fetch water from the river. Women and children are the main victims of malnutrition.
It is estimated that at least half a million children under the age of five will be acutely malnourished, including 110,000 in a severe state, in the drought-affected south of Madagascar, suffering irreversible damage to their growth and development. The number of acutely malnourished children is expected to quadruple since the previous assessment conducted in October 2020, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) warn.
NGOs are trying to help, but the situation is complex. Aid with long-term solutions such as water supply and programs to improve agricultural yields are needed to eradicate this scourge.

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