Cyclones Batsirai and Emnati have worsened food insecurity in the Southeast. Ikongo calls for humanitarian aid.
Several human lives threatened in the Southeast. Chernont Manankavaly, parliamentary assistant to the deputy elected in Ikongo, sends messages of distress.
“Save Ikongo. People are starving! “, he launches, reached on the phone, yesterday. Several people are said to have died due to the food insecurity that has plagued this district since the passage of cyclones Batsirai and Emnati in February.
“An increase in the number of deaths is noticed at the level of the fokontany. We are awaiting evidence from fokontany leaders to confirm the link between these deaths and the ongoing famine. What has already been confirmed is the death of a woman in the commune of Ifanarea last week and that of three children living in the commune of Ikalafotsy, two of whom died on Friday. They consumed poisonous plants,” reports Chernont Manankavaly.
Cyclone damage to plantations is significant in Ikongo. Rice and cassava fields have been ravaged. The villagers no longer have enough to eat.
They fall back on what they find to survive. Many eat plants that are unfit for consumption, such as ‘viha’, a wild plant that grows in marshes, and ‘veoveo’, a species of wild yam, which can be poisonous if you don’t know how to prepare them; or even palm, “fontsy”, “pikopiko”.
“The two children who died in Ikalafotsy cooked “viha”, while their mother was away. They didn’t know how to prepare it properly. The plant has turned into something poisonous. This is what caused their death, “says our source.
Food insecurity
In Ikongo, 75% of the population is affected by food insecurity. “There is rice in the market, but it costs too much. 800 ariary to 900 ariary, the measure. Households do not have this means”, indicates the mayor of the commune of Tanakambana. This situation could last until the end of the year.
“It is now that agricultural activities are restarting. We will still have to wait three or four months for the harvests”, adds this mayor.
To survive during this long lean season, the inhabitants of Ikongo are calling for humanitarian aid.