El Niño. Three Mozambican districts at maximum level of vulnerability

ANDm cause are the districts of Doa, in the province of Tete, and Morrumbala and Lugela, in Zambézia, center of Mozambique, classified at the maximum level of nutritional vulnerability associated with the phenomenon - which is expected with deep droughts in the south and intense rains in the north -, according to recent analysis of the Nutrition Cluster consulted today by Lusa.

The three districts appear in the severity category 4, the highest of the Nutritional Vulnerability Index associated with El Niño, which seeks to identify territories with higher risk of deterioration of the nutritional status of the population due to climatic shocks, food insecurity, disease and other vulnerabilities.

The evaluation was carried out within the framework of the Nutrition Cluster, coordination mechanism that brings together the Mozambican Government, UN agencies and humanitarian organisations, and is based on analyses conducted by national entities such as the Technical Secretariat for Food and Nutrition Security (ETSAN) and sector partners.

The results indicate that vulnerability is not limited to the three districts classified at the most critical level, and the analysis focused on about 70 districts of the country, of which 45 were classified as severity three and 22 as severity two, showing that most of the evaluated areas face significant nutritional risks.

The data point to 1.1 million people in acute food insecurity in Mozambique between July and September 2026, including about 81,000 in an emergency situation. The projections for the period between October 2026 and March 2027 point to a worsening of the situation, with about 1.8 million people in acute food insecurity and approximately 254,000 in emergency situations.

In parallel, the analysis of acute malnutrition estimates that 103,617 children between 6 and 59 months of age suffer from acute malnutrition, with 11,131 pregnant and lactating women also affected.

The degradation of indicators, adds, results from the combination of several factors, including food insecurity, recurrent cholera outbreaks, high incidence of childhood diseases, limitations in access to drinking water and sanitation, extreme climatic phenomena and, in some regions, the effects of insecurity and population displacements.

It also mentions concerns about the delays in disseminating the results of analysis on the ground, reducing the capacity for anticipation and response of humanitarian actors.

In view of the indicators presented, the partners argued that the response should not only focus on the treatment of cases of malnutrition already identified, but also on preventive measures aimed at populations at risk, including food assistance, nutritional supplementation, micronutrient distribution, money transfers and interventions in the water, sanitation and hygiene sectors.

The Mozambican President asked on September 14 for early actions to halt El Niño’s impacts that are coming “accelerated and frightening,” calling for new ways to finance food security in one of the countries most affected by disasters.

Daniel Chapo recalled that the country is cyclically affected by natural disasters, calling attention to strengthening food security: “We need to anticipate. So (...) we are insisting on talking about El Niño exactly so that we can anticipate, prevent and build resilience, investing in water management, irrigation, adapted technology, early warning and storage systems, with El Niño coming, as we mentioned, in an accelerated and frightening way”.