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

Global Published 30 October 2026, 06:45 · archived 30 Oct 2026

As many as 8 million people have been affected by food shortages, electricity blackouts and health clinic closuresExtreme drought driven by an historic El Niño is affecting as many as 8 million people in Papua New Guinea, causing a cascade of issues from shortages of food and water, to electricity scarcity and schooling disruption.An influential coalition that includes churches, trade unions and business groups has said the Pacific nation is in the midst of a “national crisis”, but there appears to be “no coordinated plan to protect vulnerable communities from the worsening impacts of El Niño....

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