Islamabad, Oct 12: Pakistan at Risk of Drought Due to Intensifying La Niña Weather Phenomenon. Pakistan has been designated as one of the 20 nations most likely to experience dry weather because it is expected that the La Nina weather phenomena would begin in late 2024 and last until early 2025.
In a report published on Friday, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations said that La Nina may bring about extreme weather events that would have a negative impact on agriculture and food security.
Even if La Nina hasn’t been formally announced yet, comparable circumstances are already being felt in several areas. The FAO is keeping a careful eye on its progress in order to assess any possible effects on agricultural productivity and food supply. To lessen the anticipated harm to agriculture, the FAO has responded by implementing a La Nina Anticipatory Action and Response Plan.
In order to mitigate the effects of La Nina, the FAO report suggests a number of actions, such as distributing seeds and farming equipment resistant to drought well in advance of planting seasons and offering feed and medical assistance to livestock.
Rehabilitating shared water sources, educating farmers on water harvesting methods, and managing the crop after it is harvested to minimize losses are some more suggestionsThe study also noted that La Nina is predicted to exacerbate the consequences of the El Nino event that occurred in 2023–2024, which caused record-breaking heat waves, droughts, and floods, affecting agricultural productivity and exacerbating food poverty in many countries.