African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

Table 10.3:The Deadliest Natural Disasters of the 20th Century in AfricaCountry Year Day Month Disaster Region Continent Killed17 Ethiopia 1972 Famine E.Africa Africa 600,00028 Ethiopia 1984 14 October Drought E.Africa Africa 300,00032 Ethiopia 1974 April Drought E.Africa Africa 200,00033 Uganda 1901 Epidemic E.Africa Africa 200,00035 Sudan 1984 Drought N.Africa Africa 150,00043 Ethiopia 1973 Drought E.Africa Africa 100,00044 Mozambique 1985 Drought E.Africa Africa 100,00045 Niger 1923 Epidemic W.Africa Africa 100,00049 NA 1972 Drought W.Africa Africa 62,50050 NA 1973 Drought W.Africa Africa 62,50051 NA 1974 Drought W.Africa Africa 62,50065 NA 1943 Drought E.Africa Africa 35,00067 Cape Verde Is 1946 Drought W.Africa Africa 30,00072 Niger 1931 Famine W.Africa Africa 26,00074 Cape Verde Is 1920 Drought W.Africa Africa 24,00078 Niger 1910 Drought W.Africa Africa 21,25079 Niger 1911 Drought W.Africa Africa 21,25080 Niger 1912 Drought W.Africa Africa 21,25081 Niger 1913 Drought W.Africa Africa 21,25085 Somalia 1974 Drought E.Africa Africa 19,00093 Morocco 1960 29 February Earthquake N.Africa Africa 12,00098 Cape Verde Is 1900 Drought W.Africa Africa 11,000100 Nigeria 1991 January Epidemic W.Africa Africa 10,391Source: EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database – www.md.ucl.ac.be/cred HTML and other Copyrights; The Disaster CenterDroughts aggravate environmental degradationby degrading ecosystems and worsening climaticeffects alongside such phenomena as deforestation,livestock overgrazing, soil erosion, wild landfires, biodiversity loss and water pollution. Socialeffects include reduced potable water supplieswith negative health and sanitation consequences,especially for the vulnerable groups, and increaseddrudgery for women in collecting waterfor household consumption. Droughts also havean impact on the environmental disease incidenceand increase the likelihood of food shortagesleading to malnutrition and hunger.The single worst drought disasters are the onesthat killed 300,000 people in Ethiopia in 1984(table 10.3) and the one that affected 14.3 millionpeople in the same country in 2002. In economicterms, the cost of droughts in Africa isenormous. For example, the economic impactsof the 1991/92 drought in Southern Africa includedGDP reduction of $3 billion, reduced agriculturalproduction, increased unemployment,further heightened government expenditureburden and reduced industrial production due tocurtailed power supply (Clay et. al. 2003, Vordzorgbe1992). A decade later, the 1992-2001La Niña-related drought in East Africa cost theKenyan economy alone about $2.5 billion.MANAGING RISKS241