In an era when more risks are becoming profound realities, HotSpots H2O helps make sense of a changing, often stressed global waterscape.
HotSpots H2O: In Madagascar, Droughts Caused by Climate Change Contribute to Famine
HotSpots H2O: Argentina’s Paraná River Drops to 77-Year Low, Resulting in Economic Loss and Wildfires
HotSpots H2O: Indigenous Communities, Biodiversity Along Brazil-Peru Border Threatened by Highway Construction
HotSpots H2O: Kazakhstan’s Lake Balkhash Is Disappearing, Continuing a Trend of Desiccation in Central Asia
HotSpots H2O: Anishinaabe Activists and Allies Resist Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline, a Project that Threatens Wetlands and Ignores Treaty Territory
HotSpots H2O: Longstanding Drought in Iran Begets Farmer Protests, Power Outages, and Widespread Water Rationing
HotSpots H2O: Farmer-Herder Violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt Persists, a Consequence of Drought and Climate Change
HotSpots H2O: The Toto, One of the World’s Smallest Ethnic Groups, Face Water Shortages Along the India-Bhutan Border
HotSpots H2O: When War Destroys Water Systems, Children Suffer the Most
HotSpots H2O: Israeli Airstrikes Intensify Palestine’s Water, Humanitarian Crises
HotSpots H2O: Amid American West Megadrought, Montana’s Reservoirs Are Running Dry
HotSpots H2O: Water and Land Disputes Turn Violent Along Ambiguous Kyrgyz-Tajik Border
Closing the Gap: Afghanistan’s Hunger Crisis in the Spotlight
/in HotSpots H2O/by Zara GoundenBy Zara Gounden, Circle of Blue – April 30, 2024
Rich countries are falling short in providing essential support to combat hunger and water scarcity in low income nations, according to The Action Against Hunger 2024 Hunger Funding Gap Report. Published annually by Action Against Hunger, the report highlights a stark reality: Approximately 65 percent of funding requests went unmet for countries facing hunger crises.
Among the striking examples in this report is Afghanistan, where over 41 percent of people face crisis-level hunger or worse, the hunger funding gap stands at 72 percent. Even more concerning is the finding that despite urgent appeals, countries received only a third of the requested funding for hunger-related programs the following year.
After the 6.3-magnitude earthquakes in October 2023 and the unpredictable weather patterns accompanying the summer season, access to food and water has and will become increasingly challenging in Afghanistan.
Other studies have found similar dire circumstances. According to the World Food Program, 15.8 million Afghans are grappling with insufficient food consumption. Additionally, acute malnutrition surpasses emergency thresholds in 25 out of 34 provinces, painting a dire picture of the nation’s nutritional challenges.
The dual challenges of conflict and weather hazards hinder farmers from sowing their crops and often lead to the destruction of existing crops.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that 25 out of 34 provinces experience either severe or catastrophic drought conditions, affecting more than 50 per cent of the population.
Initiatives spearheaded by the FAO and the UN have made strides in ameliorating the situation. However, it remains a pressing concern. A key element exacerbating this challenge has been the series of consecutive droughts Afghanistan faced this year, and in the last few years. This reversal has adversely affected the entire nation.
Zara is a reporting intern at Circle of Blue. She is a Davis Scholar in her third year at New York University London, majoring in Global Liberal Studies with a concentration in Politics, Rights, and Development.
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Previous HotSpots H2O
- Closing the Gap: Afghanistan’s Hunger Crisis in the SpotlightApril 30, 2024 - 12:57 pm
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