SILVER SPRING, Md.--The effects of a worsening drought in East Africa is affecting nearly half the population of Somalia, leaving millions of people without sufficient access to clean drinking water and food, said the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

A recent rapid assessment done by ADRA in central Somalia's Hiran province reported that the situation is deteriorating rapidly, particularly in the districts of Beletweyne and Matabaan. Most of the villages are suffering from shortages of water, high food prices, livestock deaths, and a lack of purchasing power, which have been worsened by months of increasing civil unrest.

"Water sources have dried up, and water consumption has decreased from more than 29 cups (7 liters) a day to about 13 cups (3 liters) a day," said Joel Echevarria, country director for ADRA Somalia. "Most of the families that we interviewed are primarily dependent on water that is being trucked in by aid agencies."

In the Hiran region, ADRA is delivering water to an estimated 4,650 people in the Matabaan district, and distributing jerry cans and basins for another 2,520 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Beletweyn, who are also receiving water supplies from other aid agencies. The amount of water provided for each household per day is equal to 10.5 gallons (40 liters), and will provide the targeted families with safe drinking water. Each individual is expected to receive 1.5 gallons (6 liters) of drinking water for each day.

The current crisis is affecting 3.25 million people, or 43 percent of the population, according to the Food Security Analysis Unit for Somalia (FAO/FSAU).

ADRA is also conducting sanitation awareness talks among beneficiaries to improve both health and sanitation in the targeted region.

This project, launched in mid-April with funding from ADRA International, the ADRA Africa Regional Office located in Nairobi, Kenya, and ADRA Somalia, is expected to end in May 2009.

In addition, ADRA is currently implementing two emergency response projects in the region through funding provided by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).

Since 1996, ADRA Somalia has been implementing water, food security, basic education, economic development, and emergency management projects in the Hiraan region. In addition, ADRA has been operating in Somalia since 1992 implementing emergency relief and development interventions in various sectors, including water, primary health, education, food security, infrastructure, institutional capacity building and economic development.

To give to ADRA's Disaster and Famine Relief Offering, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or go to www.adra.org.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.

For additional information, visit www.adra.org.

Author: Nadia McGill