Photos: Zimbabwe set for another dismal year of drought, says UN

Zimbabwe is facing one of the most serious food crises due to drought in its history. The UN estimates that a total of 5.5 million people in the countryside and 2.2 million in urban areas are currently in need of help. The galloping inflation has also wiped out savings, and most of the country’s 14.4 million inhabitants have been unable to keep up with rising prices. A World Food Programme (WFP) survey found that 77 percent of people in urban areas could no longer afford a standard meal.

Updated on: Jan 02, 2020 5:45 PM IST

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An aerial view of herd boys pulling out an ox stuck in muddy waters in the drying Mabwematema dam, 20km North of Zvishavane. AFP reports that there has not been farming activities in the Mabwematema irrigation scheme during the past two cropping seasons and it has adversely affected a population of over 2000 villagers whose lives solely depend on the crop production in the region. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)

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A community borehole is seen in a village. The United Nations called for some $200 million in extra funding to help four million Zimbabweans unable to buy food due to drought and triple-digit inflation. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)

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Helena Zimudzi, a shop owner serving the Mabwematema irrigation scheme community seen at the Ndaba village. The southern African country has been hit by a poor harvest and an entrenched economic crisis that has rendered basic goods out of reach for most people. “The food security situation in Zimbabwe is very dire,” said the World Food Programme (WFP) country director Eddie Rowe during a press briefing in the capital Harare. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)

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Herd boys wash their feet after an effort to pull out a cow stuck in the muddy water of the drying Mabwematema dam. Zimbabwe is experiencing one of the worst droughts in history, blamed on the effects of the El Nino weather cycle. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)

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A woman walks along a path formed in the fallow fields in in Zvishavane. AFP reports that galloping inflation has wiped out savings, and most of the country’s 14.4 million inhabitants have been unable to keep up with rising prices. A World Food Programme (WFP) survey found that 77 percent of people in urban areas could no longer afford a standard meal. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)

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A herdboy walks to get assistance to pull out a cow stuck in the drying Mabwematema dam. “Zimbabwe is facing one of the most serious food crises in its history,” said a statement Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the main opposition party. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)

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An aerial view of a dry canal seen in Zvishavane. “For the first time ever, a huge 2.2 million people will require food assistance in the urban areas.” Production of maize, a national staple, fell by 54 percent as a result of the drought, according to the MDC. The UN estimates that a total of 5.5 million people in the countryside and 2.2 million in urban areas are currently in need of help. (ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)