Hundreds of thousands of people hit by severe drought in Somalia: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of thousands of people have been impacted by severe drought in central and northern Somalia, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday.

An analysis by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization showed that more than 880,000 people live in severely affected areas in 16 districts, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, at a daily briefing.

Haq said a joint assessment by UN agencies and partners is underway in Puntland and Somaliland to determine key needs, adding that preliminary reports point to escalating food insecurity, dwindling access to water and pasture, and major disruptions to livelihoods.

UN humanitarians have noted that water wells have dried up and more than 160 boreholes are no longer functional. Livestock farmers are migrating with their herds to other areas in search of water and pasture.

The UN-managed Somalia Humanitarian Fund is preparing to allocate funds to meet urgent life-saving needs, Haq said.

"Our partners are planning to step up assistance but are constrained by recent funding cuts by key donors. The 1.4 billion U.S. dollar Somalia Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 17 percent funded at nearly 242 million dollars," said the spokesperson. ■