A prolonged drought in northern Kenya is raising fears of a new crisis. About 23 million people are affected in Kenya as well as other countries in East Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda. Many people are dying from malnutrition and thirst.

 

In parched Wajir province of northern Kenya, the air is hot and dry. In the desert-like landscape the only signs of life are the occasional circular mud huts. This land has not seen rain for three years. Villagers walk for miles to get life's most essential need -- water. Each family is only allowed 20 liters of water a day.

Ebla Ibrahim, village resident, said, "My water rations won't even last the morning. The children drink a little and then we give some to the animals and then we are all thirsty again."

Hundreds of thousands of cattle are dying. They are the people's key source of income. The lack of food has resulted in increasing cases of severely malnourished and underweight babies.

Dr. Dennis Onanda, World Health Organization, said, "The mother's themselves don't have food at home to be able to eat so they can have enough milk to suckle the children and also to be able to supplement the feeding of the children. About 30 percent of the admissions being malnourished up to about 70 percent of them being malnourished at this point in time, the number has significantly gone up. "

The United Nations' food agency expects an increase beyond the nearly 20 million people currently depending on food aid in the region.

Villagers look to the heavens for relief from their suffering. The onset of the El Nino rains expected by the end of this month may help end the drought. But scientists warn this part of Africa can expect more extreme weather events -- both drought and floods.