Paddari Online Desk: A shocking news is coming out from Mongolia. In the country of Mongolia, severe cold has killed as many as 5 million animals. So the quality of life and food supply of thousands of people is threatened. This warning has been given by the International Federation of Red Cross. (Dzud in Mongolia)
Dzud in Mongolia : What is 'Dzud'
Dzud is a severe condition that occurs in cold dry climates with drought, heavy snowfall, extreme cold and storms. Such a situation can last for a year. Such condition covers grazing areas resulting in loss of feed for livestock. About 300,000 people in Mongolia are traditional nomadic pastoralists. These people depend on their cattle, goats and horses for food and to sell in the market.
More than 70% of livestock was lost
Alexander Mathew, IFRC regional director for Asia Pacific, told CNN on Thursday (21st), “People who depended entirely on their livestock for survival have been left destitute within months, some of them unable to even feed themselves.” At the same time, they cannot heat their houses in the cold.” According to the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), at least 2,250 pastoral families have lost more than 70% of their livestock since November. More than 7,000 families are now without enough food.
Three-quarters of the country is affected by drought
Three-fourths of the country has been affected by drought. The situation will last until May 15, as announced by the Mongolian government last month. From Tuesday (Dec 19), the IFRC launched an appeal for funds to ease the suffering of people who have lost their livelihoods. Dzud, meanwhile, has had a devastating economic impact on pastoralists and has created barriers to travel, trade, health care and education for many Mongolians, especially those living in rural areas. Because the road access is closed due to heavy snow.
Impact on Mongolia's economy
As 30 percent of Mongolia's total population are stray animals, dzud has had a devastating effect on the country's economy. Mongolia's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) said in a statement that Mongolian herders have endured months of extreme cold, which has killed 4.7 million livestock. 2,250 pastoral families have lost more than 70 percent of their livestock.
Dzud in Mongolia : Why is this year's Dzud so bad?
Families in Mongolia often migrate seasonally, traveling across the country's vast grasslands to find new pastures to graze their livestock. They use the summer months to grow fodder, hay and crops and watch their animals in the winter. According to the World Health Organization, this year's snowfall is the heaviest in 49 years, covering 90% of the country in January. According to the UN, last year's summer started with heavy rains. But a sharp drop in temperature and an early November snowfall led to a sudden rise in temperature, which melted that snow. After that, the cold weather intensified with some areas dropping below -40C.
Diarrhea is happening frequently
Zoods are becoming more frequent in Mongolia, leaving pastures and herders less time to recover between extreme weather conditions. “These dozens are cyclical and are happening more and more frequently,” said IFRC's Mathew. There have been six in the last 10 years. But this year is the worst so far. But they keep happening. They used to happen rarely now they are happening more often.
According to the UN Development Program (UNDP), Mongolia is one of the countries most affected by the climate crisis, with average air temperatures rising by 2.1 degrees Celsius over the past 70 years. According to UN agencies, human-caused climate change has disrupted the country's four distinct seasons, leading to frequent summer droughts and subsequent harsh winters. According to the IFRC, the impact of this year's crisis is expected to be greater than the dozen that hit Mongolia in 2010, with 10.3 million livestock deaths.
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