Drought forces Somalis to drink own urine

Nairobi, February 17
Drought in Somalia is putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk
with some forced to drink their own urine or walk the equivalent of
two marathon races to find water, a relief agency said.

With east Africa facing its worst drought for years, arid Somalia is
one of the worst-affected countries, with pastoralist families forced
to exist on a twentieth of the daily water supply recommended by
minimum standards, Oxfam said yesterday.

"Many families are surviving on just a 20-litre jerry can of water
for three days. This is equivalent to 830 ml or three glasses of
water, per person per day for drinking, cooking and washing," the
British-based agency said.

"Oxfam's assessment team also gathered reports of people being forced
to drink their own urine because of the desperate thirst the drought
has caused," its report added.

Some people were forced to trek 70 km to find water in temperatures
of up to 40 degrees Celsius, it added.

"Our assessment shows people in Somalia having to walk the equivalent
of almost two marathons to collect water because nearby sources are
now just cracked earth," it said.

"The burden is worst for women on whom the responsibility of weekly
trips to collect water often falls."