Now El Niño and soon La Niña in Asia

According to experts, after El Niño that ends in the middle of this year, Asia will have to deal with La Niña (Spanish for the girl). This is a natural phenomenon similar to El Niño. She is seen as the sister of El Niño.

The effects of La Niña are usually the exact opposite of El Niño. For example, in places where it was very dry during El Niño, there will be a lot of rain and storms.

This is not good news for farmers. La Niña can bring severe storms, exacerbating the agricultural damage of its predecessor and leaving crops susceptible to disease and insects.

“The current disastrous situation will become even worse when El Niña hits at the end of the year,” said Stephen O'Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Relief.

Wilhemina Pelegrina, of Greenpeace, says La Niña could be 'devastating' for Asia with the risk of flooding and landslides. This will also affect agriculture.

Vietnam, one of the world's largest rice exporters, has already been hit by its worst drought in a century. In the Mekong Delta, due to the low water level of the river, half of the fertile land has been affected by rising salt water, resulting in crop damage.

More than half a million people suffer from water shortages. Hotels, schools and hospitals struggle to have enough water supplies. The rice harvest in Thailand and Cambodia is also suffering from a shortage of water. Malaysia reports drying water reservoirs, dry fields and in some places water rationing and school closures.

In India, 330 million are short of water and there is damage to crops. Numerous people and many livestock have succumbed to the heat. The island of Palau will soon be completely without water.

According to the FAO, there is not yet a shortage of food because stocks are sufficient. But in the south of the Philippines, food riots have already broken out between police and residents, killing two people.

Source: Bangkok Post