Drought in the South of Madagascar by Viviane Rakotoarivony

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.

This young boy poses on a field...mena" or the red wind.

This young boy poses on a field that was once green. The crops have been buried by the sand carried by the wind called "Tioka mena" or the red wind.

In the southern region, it rain...ing decanted it for a few days.

In the southern region, it rains very rarely. It is in this pool of muddy water left by the rain that the cattle drink. However, there can be a year without any rainfall forcing the population to drink this water after having decanted it for a few days.

Crops in the Ambovombe area wer...cause his corn plants resisted.

Crops in the Ambovombe area were buried by windblown sand called "Tioka mena" or the red wind. The owner of this field was lucky because his corn plants resisted.

The population in the Androy region drinks this stagnant water.

This young man comes to fill hi...ant water. Androy region, 2021.

This young man comes to fill his cans with this stagnant water. Androy region, 2021.

This family travels many kilometers in search of water.

Rains are rare in the South of ...ocated miles from the villages.

Rains are rare in the South of Madagascar. This well is designed to collect rainwater and also serves as a reservoir to store water from ponds or the river, which is usually located miles from the villages.

Passers-by use the pool of wate...by the rain to wash themselves.

Passers-by use the pool of water formed by the rain to wash themselves.

It is in this pool of water for... back place to the arid ground.

It is in this pool of water formed by the rain that the zebus drink. This water will dry up after a few days to give back place to the arid ground.

This young man also fills his b...cart or sometimes even on foot.

This young man also fills his barrel and cans with water for his home. In this region, people fetch water from kilometers away from their homes, sometimes up to 20 km by cart or sometimes even on foot.

The little girl rarely washes h...e on foot and spend half a day.

The little girl rarely washes her hair and uses as little water as possible because the nearest water source is 15 km away. The villagers go there on foot and spend half a day.

In the Village of Ambolovohitsy.

Women and children are the most...ons in the south of Madagascar.

Women and children are the most vulnerable to the difficult climatic conditions in the south of Madagascar.

The population in the south of ...o ripen when there is a famine.

The population in the south of Madagascar only eats the fruits of the red cactus when there is nothing else to eat, when there is no harvest. They do not wait for the fruit to ripen when there is a famine.

These people are cooking cactus leaves.

Village of Ambaniza, District of Berano ville, Amboasary.

These girl-mothers take their c...eft their village to seek help.

These girl-mothers take their children to the CRENI (intensive nutritional recovery center) Ambovombe. They have left their village to seek help.

These women get their water by ...sand is used for the household.

These women get their water by digging small holes on the banks of the Manambovo River in Tsiombe during the dry season. This water filtered by sand is used for the household.

The drought leads to oasivity. ...ing for the return of the rain.

The drought leads to oasivity. The population is waiting for the return of the rain.

Because of the drought in the s...ry, in the south of Madagascar.

Because of the drought in the south, just as men have difficulty finding food, so do the shepherds who have difficulty feeding their cattle because of the lack of pasture. This man therefore burns cactus to extract the thorns so that his cattle can eat them. August 2021 Amboasary, in the south of Madagascar.