The Horn of Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, even though the continent’s contribution to global carbon emissions is a fraction of the total. Most recently, East Africa had an unprecedented series of failed rains. But some rainy seasons are bringing the opposite: huge amounts of rainfall.
Facts
- Often, heavy rain seasons in East Africa are attributed to El Niño, but recent research has shown that the direct impact of El Niño on east African rainfall is actually relatively modest. El Niño’s principal influence lies in its capacity to bring about positive dipole events.
- Similarly, experts argued that the very wet, short rainy seasons are also linked to a climate event known as a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). And climate model projections show an increasing trend of extreme Indian Ocean dipoles.
- The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), a climate system defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between western and eastern areas of the ocean, also contributed to “unusually extreme” rainfall, scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) said in a report.
- IOD occurs since El Niño events tend to cool the water in the western Pacific Ocean (around Indonesia), which also helps to cool down the water in the eastern Indian Ocean. These cooler temperatures then help kick-start a positive IOD.
*Figures
- *In Tanzania, flooding had left at least 236 injured, while more than 10,000 houses had been damaged and upwards of 200,000 people affected, according to authorities. Experts warn that Tanzania, one of the sources of food for the region, will realize reduced yields by up to 30 percent due to the impact of the floods.
- The latest deaths bring the toll from heavy rains and flooding last month to more than 100 in Kenya. Government figures showed killed nearly 169 people and displaced 185,000 others since March as of Tuesday, 30th of April, 2024. More than 400 families have been displaced, and several hectares of food crops have been damaged or submerged as floods wreak havoc following recent heavy rains in the North Rift region. The floods have also damaged roads and infrastructure. Transport services in several areas have been disrupted in the region.
- Lake Tanganyika’s rising waters have invaded the port of Bujumbura, Burundi’s economic capital, disrupting business there and elsewhere in the country, which relies heavily on donor support to run government programs. Between September and April 7, some 203,944 people were affected by flooding, with 19,250 homes and 209 classrooms destroyed. The number of people internally displaced by flooding rose by 25%, reaching over 98,000, U.N. officials in the country said.
- The Gu (April to June) rains are intensifying, with flash floods reported since April 19. Four people, three boys in Somaliland and a six-year-old girl in Hirshabelle State, have been reportedly kiled; about 100 shelters for displaced people were destroyed, and at least 134 families (804 people) were affected or displaced across Somalia.
In Tanzania
- Flooding had left at least 236 injured.
- Over 10,000 houses had been damaged.
- Upwards of 200,000 people were affected.
In Kenya
- 169 people had been killed.
- More than 185,000 people were displaced as of April 30, 2024.
In Burundi
- 203,944 people were affected by flooding.
- 98,000 people were internally displaced by flooding.
In Somalia
- 804 people were affected by the floods.
Source:
Qiraat Africa
