El Niño-driven drought in Papua New Guinea a ‘national crisis’ as rivers dry up and local farms fail

Papua New Guinea’s drought is disrupting the basic systems that communities depend on. Rivers and creeks are drying, while family gardens have shrivelled. These gardens provide both food and income for many households. Without water, people cannot reliably drink, cook, wash, farm, or provide health and education services.

In Bulolo district, smaller rivers have dried up. Residents must travel long distances to collect water, while crops have died. Schools and health centres are operating for only half a day in some places. Some clinics have stopped accepting inpatients because they lack enough water for essential care.

The disruption is already affecting daily survival and local incomes. Families are rationing food, and gold panning has become harder because it also requires water. Forecast rain may offer short-term relief, but officials fear El Niño could shorten the wet season, leaving communities exposed for longer.

El Niño is a climate pattern affecting the tropical Pacific. The article explains that warm tropical waters normally help feed rain in Papua New Guinea. During this event, those waters shift eastward. That change reduces the rain reaching PNG and can produce prolonged dry conditions.

Kasis Inape of the National Weather Service said PNG is one of the world’s wettest places because rainfall is fed by warm tropical waters. With those waters moving east, the country is “starved of rain.” Some areas have received less than a quarter of their usual rainfall since August.

The consequences are serious because much of PNG is rain-fed. Subsistence farmers depend on rainfall for crops and food. The wet season normally runs from November to April, but officials worry El Niño will shorten it. Two months of rain may not be enough for crops or water levels to recover.

The crisis is national in scale, affecting as many as 8 million people across Papua New Guinea. The National Weather Service declared El Niño in June, but assistant director Kasis Inape said much of the country was already experiencing drought by then. Churches, unions, and business groups have called the situation a national crisis.

Rainfall has fallen dramatically in some places. Parts of PNG have received less than a quarter of their usual rainfall since August. This shortage has dried rivers, damaged food gardens, disrupted services, and forced families to ration food. Rural communities have faced the sharpest effects so far.

The full consequences may spread further. Urban centres have been mostly shielded, but electricity blackouts and reduced supplies of fresh food could change that. Forecast rain might provide short-term relief, yet officials fear a shortened wet season will prevent crops and water sources from properly recovering.

Rain is essential in Papua New Guinea because many people are subsistence farmers. They depend on rainfall to grow food and feed their families. Rain also replenishes rivers, creeks, wells, and dams, which communities use for drinking, cooking, washing, and public services.

The drought shows how closely these needs are connected. In Leklu village, all local rivers dried up and crops died. A family well remained available only for washing, so residents walked miles to collect water for cooking and drinking. In Bulolo, dry rivers also made gold panning harder, removing an important source of income.

The shortage creates a chain of problems. Less water means less food production, while failed gardens increase food insecurity and disputes. Schools and clinics cannot operate normally without water. Short-term rain may help, but officials warn that two months may not restore crops and comfortable water levels.

Drought reduces the water available to hydropower systems. When dam levels fall, less water can be released to generate electricity. This turns a rainfall shortage into an energy problem, affecting homes, businesses, and essential services in cities.

In Port Moresby, PNG Power began planned electricity blackouts after falling dam levels cut hydropower generation. The company is managing dam releases carefully because the same water system also helps protect the capital’s water supply. This shows that authorities must balance electricity production against drinking-water needs.

PNG Power said disruptions could continue for up to 10 months. Urban centres have been mostly protected from the drought’s wider effects, but blackouts could change that. Electricity shortages may also compound existing difficulties for schools, health facilities, businesses, and households already facing higher risks from food and water scarcity.

Women and girls face extra risks because drought increases the unpaid work needed to keep families going. They are expected to find food and water, prepare meals, and support other household members. Yet they may receive less food themselves, increasing their vulnerability during shortages.

CARE International reported that women and girls are often the last to eat because they serve others first. They may travel three to four hours to find water and food. These longer journeys expose them to a heightened risk of harassment. The organisation has also heard reports of transactional sex, involving exchanges of sex for money or food.

These dangers are happening alongside wider food insecurity and local disputes. As drought continues, families may need to travel farther and ration food for longer. The article highlights why responses must protect vulnerable communities, not only restore supplies. Government assessments and disaster support are especially important for rural areas.

Global heating can make the effects of an El Niño event more severe, according to the article. It describes the current El Niño as strengthening and forecasts suggest it could be the strongest ever recorded. The combination is increasing concern about drought and its consequences in PNG.

The article does not give a detailed mechanism for how global heating intensifies this event. It does report that El Niño has shifted warm tropical Pacific waters eastward, reducing rainfall in PNG. That lack of rain has dried rivers, damaged gardens, lowered dams, and disrupted electricity and public services.

The result is a wider and potentially longer crisis. Families face food and water shortages, while schools and health facilities struggle to operate. Officials expect some short-term rain but fear a shortened wet season. If conditions remain dry, crops, water supplies, rural incomes, and urban electricity could all face further pressure.