Daily News  :: East Africa

Addis Ababa - After a long and devastating drought in eastern and south-eastern Ethiopian regions of Afar and Somali, the rains have set in, regenerating the pasture and improving water availability, but also raising serious health concerns, according to relief agencies.

The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the rains had increased livestock mortality, hygiene concerns and road access problems in the pastoralist regions.

In Somali Region, OCHA said although the onset of the rains was timely, it was not necessarily welcomed given the damage that it caused.

Rainfall has been good in the Borena zone, and has helped to revise agriculture. However, rainfall along in the Kenyan border has been inadequate to revive activities.

Rain in the far north of the country has also been poor.

The Regional Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau (DPPB) said that although rains have helped to revive farming across Ethiopia, the dry land has increased the likelihood of flooding.

A bridge that linked Dubti to Det Bahree has also washed away. -panapress