News in Brief:
– Heavy flooding in Ahero, Kenya, devastated over 800 acres of rice farms, wiping out crops and threatening food security.
– The National Irrigation Authority (NIA) confirmed the damage, raising concerns for farmers who depended on the harvest.
Rice farmers in Ahero, Kisumu County, Kenya, are facing significant losses after heavy flooding washed away over 800 acres of their crops. The National Irrigation Authority (NIA) confirmed the damage to reporters, attributing it to the recent overflowing of River Nyando.
Kenya’s NIA Scheme Manager Kennedy Ouma reported that the floodwaters completely destroyed the affected rice paddies. He said this situation seriously jeopardises the farmers’ anticipated bumper harvest.
Naturally, the setback comes as a blow to Kenya’s national government’s food security efforts, which rely heavily on rice production.
Furthermore, Ouma highlighted the financial hardship faced by the farmers, many of whom had taken loans to cultivate the crop. Meantime, questions have cropped up over the potential future losses and displaced residents in the Nyando area.
Kenya has a documented history of flooding, with events causing significant damage and disruption throughout the past few decades. Recent years have also seen significant flooding, displacing people and damaging infrastructure.
While heavy rainfall is a primary cause, factors like El Niño and inadequate infrastructure can exacerbate flooding.
