Coming 2016, the strongest El Nino weather cycle on record is to increase the threat of hunger and disease for millions of people around the world. Researchers from the Aid Agencies say, the weather phenomenon is set to worsen droughts in some areas and potentially increasing flooding as well. Countries like Africa will have a great impact and will possibly lead to shortage of food to peak in February.
Other parts of the world including Caribbean, Central and South America will also be hit in the next months to come. Dr. Nick Kilngman from the University of Reading says, "To some, 2015 has already been the strongest El Nino on record. It depends exactly how you measure it."
Rainfall in some countries is observed to have decreased 20-30% in the last year. The Indian monsoon for example is 15% below its normal forecast; Brazil and Australia are also affected and will be experiencing a decrease in rainfall this 2016.
Aid Agencies are worried of the scale this coming El Nino will bring us floods and droughts continue. There is an estimated 31 million people in Africa who will be affected with food deprivation. A third of these people live in Ethiopia, around 10.2 million in affected.
El Nino strikes annually, it is a naturally occurring weather episode that sees the warm waters of the central Pacific and grows towards North and South America. Originally, the fisherman in South America recognized it in the 1600's with the unusual feel of warm water in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño stands for "Little Boy" or "Christ Child".
The phenomenon peaks every two to seven years, although the effects can be continuous lasting till spring or the whole year round. It is part of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle and is a counterpart to La Nina. La Nina is the cold phase of El Nino and is accompanied by a persistent pouring of rain.
This 2016, the El Nino episode is the strongest in record since 1998. It will exceed 2C above the normal water surface temperature in the tropical Pacific. The Department for International Development says it is providing emergency support for 2.6 million people and 120,000 malnourished children and will be providing over 8 million people with food or cash support in the early parts of January 2016.
Over 60 million people will be forced to leave their homes according to the UN. Aid Agencies like Oxfam are also worries that the impacts of continuing El Nino in 2016 will add to the existing stress such as the wars in Syria, South Sudan and Yemen. Jane Cocking of Oxfam says, "We cannot afford to allow other large-scale emergencies to develop elsewhere. If the world waits to respond to emerging crises in southern Africa and Latin America, we will not be able to cope."
"We cannot afford to allow other large-scale emergencies to develop elsewhere. If the world waits to respond to emerging crises in southern Africa and Latin America, we will not be able to cope," she said.
