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Angola - Rainy Season Monitoring, December 2021

Countries
Angola
Sources
WFP
Publication date
Origin
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Highlights

• Provinces of Zaíre, Uíge, Bengo, Luanda, Cuanza Norte, Malange and Cuanza Sul had 90% to 120% of normal rainfall in November 2021.

• Provinces of Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Bié, Moxico, Huila and Cuando Cubango had less than 80% of the average rainfall in November 2021.

• Provinces of Cuanza Sul, Benguela, Huambo, Namibe, Huila and Cunene provinces, the most affected by drought in 2020/2021, had below-average vegetation cover in October and November 2021.

Methodology

The report analyzes rainfall and vegetation cover trends based on the remote rainfall monitoring and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) available on the World Food Programme's DataViz Platform (dataviz.vam.wfp.org). The NDVI is an indicator of vegetation cover; therefore, it can be used to predict agricultural production and grazing conditions as well as to monitor drought. For each geographic region, the precipitation and NDVI data are analyzed by comparing the normal situation values (average values) with the values observed in the present season. The analysis assumes that there is no other phenomenon, such as fires, that could affect vegetation in addition to the climate.

Rainy Season Performance

As in other years, some provinces started to receive precipitation from the last week of August 2021 (Cuanza Sul, Benguela and Huambo), while in others the precipitation started later. For example, in Namibe and Huíla it began in October and September 2021, respectively. The November 2021 rainfall balance indicates that northwestern provinces in Angola, including some parts of Benguela and Namibe, received average or above-average rainfall, while northeastern and southeastern provinces, including some regions of Huíla, received less than 80% of average precipitation. For the months of October and November 2021, the balance suggests that the province of Huíla, some parts of Huambo and Bié, the south of Cuando Cubango, the east of Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul and a part from Moxico were the regions that registered the lowest rainfall compared to the average levels, that is, between 60% and 80% of the average. The southwestern part of Uige, the provinces of Bengo and Luanda, the western part of the Cuanza Norte and Cuanza Sul, the central part of Namibe and the eastern part of Moxico received above average rainfall.