Thursday, September 20, 2007

Climate change 'devastating Africa'

Extreme rainfall and flooding as a result of climate change has destroyed crops, homes and livelihoods in parts of Africa, Christian Aid has warned.

The aid agency said a number of countries across the continent were experiencing more unpredictable weather conditions, with the worst rainfall in decades.

Unusually heavy rain fell in the Ethiopian and Ugandan highlands in June and in Sudan in July, which was hit by floods as a result.

Flooding in Uganda washed away crops just as the harvest was due - following droughts earlier in the year.

In Kenya the rains were unusually intense, forcing 20,000 people to flee their homes as dykes burst in the Budalangi region, and destroying their harvest, Christian Aid said.

And in Mali, homes, crops and market gardens have been destroyed along with bridges and dams in what locals describe as the worst floods since 1946, leaving them reliant on aid for clean water, blankets and food.

Andrew Pendleton, Christian Aid's senior climate policy analyst warned: "These extremes of weather are exactly what have been predicted.

"Long dry periods followed by short, torrential rainy spells are creating havoc.

" Harvests are being destroyed with the result people are no longer able to feed themselves.

"The situation is only going to get worse unless we take action now."

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