Governments Prepare for Historic El Niño as Extreme Weather Risks Rise
Governments around the world are preparing for severe weather disruptions as a rapidly strengthening El Niño raises the risk of drought, flooding, extreme heat and wildfires later this year. The current event is forecast to become one of the strongest on record.
Sri Lanka is already facing a major drought linked to El Niño. Authorities are supplying water to nearly 72,000 people across seven districts, while water levels in hundreds of small reservoirs have fallen to around 10 percent. Families are expected to receive about 75 litres of water every two to three days, and the government has allocated 4.8 billion rupees ($14m) for the emergency response.
Officials now expect El Niño to peak earlier than previously forecast, although heavier year-end monsoon rains could temporarily ease conditions. Drought could return early next year.
In Indonesia, wildfires have burned more than 200,000 hectares since January, including 95,000 hectares in July alone. Thick smoke has caused dangerous air-quality conditions in parts of Borneo, while authorities are preparing possible cloud-seeding operations.
Elsewhere, the US plans to send a military hospital to Peru next year to help address El Niño-related impacts, while Honduras has placed 80 percent of the country under drought alert after dry conditions damaged crops and killed livestock.
