Papua New Guinea faces severe drought affecting 8 million people

A severe drought triggered by a powerful El Niño weather system has impacted around 8 million people across Papua New Guinea, drying up waterways, destroying family crops, and triggering widespread water and power cuts.

The crisis has led civic, religious, and business organizations to describe the circumstances as a national emergency, warning that official efforts have lacked coordination to protect the most vulnerable populations. Rivers and small streams have vanished in several provinces, depriving communities of water needed for daily survival and severely curbing agriculture.

Kasis Inape, assistant director at the PNG National Weather Service, stated that the country was already gripped by dry conditions when the agency declared El Niño in June. Inape explained that warm tropical waters usually delivering rainfall had shifted eastward, leaving the typically wet country deprived of moisture. Portions of the country have recorded less than a quarter of their normal precipitation since August. While the standard rainy period runs from November to April, meteorologists fear the weather pattern may shorten the season, leaving insufficient rain to restore reservoirs and revive agriculture.

The fallout has heavily strained public services. Schools and medical facilities in areas such as Morobe province have reduced their hours to half days, and certain clinics have turned away overnight patients due to dry taps. In rural highland regions, households have been reduced to eating just one meal each day. Emilly Meren, a humanitarian projects manager at CARE International in PNG, noted that women and girls bear a heavy burden, often walking three to four hours to find water and food while facing elevated dangers of harassment and exploitation.

The agricultural crisis was compounded in Enga province by an intense hailstorm that smothered staple sweet potato crops under ice, further worsening regional shortages. In parts of Morobe, residents who rely on gold panning for their livelihoods have found work stalled without flowing river water.

Urban populations are increasingly feeling the strain as well. In the capital, Port Moresby, state utility PNG Power has initiated scheduled blackouts because reduced reservoir levels have restricted hydroelectric generation. The company indicated these power interruptions could persist for up to 10 months as it attempts to conserve dam reserves for urban drinking needs. The city has also been blanketed in haze caused by fires burning across the island and nearby Indonesia.

Prime Minister James Marape has instructed local and provincial leadership to brace for an extended dry spell. Marape confirmed that cabinet ministers are reviewing financial regulations to ensure districts receive appropriate disaster funding as conditions worsen.