ReliefWeb

Drought Situation & EW Phase Classification

Biophysical Indicators

• The County did not experience any significant rainfall in January with dry and hot weather conditions (340C-360C) dominating across all livelihood zones. Cumulative rainfall for the 6-month period (August 2020 - January 2021) accounted for only 56 percent of the normal rainfall for the period.

• Considerable deterioration in the vegetation condition was observed as supported by the decline in the VCI-3month index across all the Sub-counties. The Pastoral and Fisheries livelihood zones were severely affected.

• Significant deterioration in the water levels was witnessed with most water pans being below 25 capacity and the depth of the traditional river wells increasing by 50 percent in January.

Socio Economic Indicators (Impact Indicators)

• Livestock body condition for browsers was fair while that of grazers was poor in some sites and deteriorating. Increase in household access distance to water source and return distance to water points for livestock was recorded during the month.

• Milk production and consumption level was below normal while the terms of trade declined further and was at par with the long-term average. Out-migration was observed but there was no livestock deaths attributed to starvation/dehydration.

• Proportion of under-fives who were moderately malnourished increased with majority of the households having a minimally adequate diet and applying ‘stress’ and ‘crisis’ coping strategies. Additionally, proportion of households categorized as having a poor FCS was typically high for the period.