Honduras drought alert covers 80% of country

Honduras placed 80 percent of the country on drought alert on Wednesday, including the capital Tegucigalpa, as low reservoir levels, crop losses and livestock deaths threaten food security.

The government measures cover 234 of Honduras's 298 municipalities. Tegucigalpa, a city of 1.7 million people, is among 75 areas under red alert, the highest risk level.

President Nasry Asfura said the crisis would last until March or April of next year. He announced emergency measures including drilling new wells, building new reservoirs and delivering food to the most critical areas.

Cattle rancher Francisco Euceda, from one municipality under red alert, said cattle had died and surviving cows were thin. “The situation is critical; the forecasts are discouraging,” he said.

The most affected area is the Central American Dry Corridor, an arid strip covering parts of Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua that is vulnerable to extreme weather.

The El Nino weather pattern warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and changes winds, atmospheric pressure and rainfall patterns. This year's El Nino is forecast to be one of the strongest on record.

The UN World Food Programme recently estimated that Central America would be the region worst affected by hunger exacerbated by El Nino. El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras broke monthly temperature records in both June and July.