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'Complex drought' in southern Africa – a water and sanitation perspective
01.04.2004
During 2002–3, food insecurity was reported in southern Africa, resulting from a fall in agricultural production levels. The origins of this crisis appear not to be so much low rainfall, however, as a number of factors, some relating to the high incidence of HIV/AIDS and the consequent decline in maintenance of water sources. Humanitarian assistance should address these complex causes rather than simply seeing this as a water shortage.