El Niño drought strikes Papua New Guinea, affecting 8 million
Historic climate pattern drives cascading crises: food shortages, blackouts, and health clinic closures across the Pacific nation.
What to know
- Up to 8 million people in Papua New Guinea are facing an acute humanitarian crisis triggered by an historic El Niño pattern, with cascading failures in food, water, electricity, and health services.
- PNG's subsistence-farming economy and rain-dependent infrastructure make it uniquely vulnerable; the climate pattern has shifted tropical rainfall eastward, leaving the normally wet nation severely depleted.
- Women and girls are bearing disproportionate burdens—traveling hours for resources, eating last, and facing heightened harassment and exploitation as families scramble to survive.
- A civil society coalition has declared a national crisis while reporting the government lacks a coordinated response plan; some relief is forecast for the November–April wet season, though concerns persist it may be shortened by El Niño.
“They have to travel three to four hours to source water and food and are exposed to a heightened risk of harassment. We are hearing stories of transactional sex happening in the community – exchanging sex for money or for food.”
Emilly Meren, CARE International humanitarian projects manager · The Guardian ↗
Kasis Inape PNG National Weather Service assistant directorEmilly Meren CARE International humanitarian projects manager in PNGCoalition of churches, trade unions, and business groups Influential civil society organizations
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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CARE International documents gendered impacts and food insecurity
Humanitarian workers report women and girls bearing disproportionate burden, traveling 3-4 hours for water and food while facing harassment risks; transactional sex emerging as survival strategy; localised disputes between families over resources.
“For women and girls, they are expected to do more to support their families, yet they were the last to eat because they have to serve others first.”
— Emilly Meren -
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# PNG # El_Nino # Drought https://www. theguardian.com/world/2026/oct /30/png-el-nino-drought-papua-new-guinea#img-2
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Coalition declares "national crisis" with no coordinated response plan
An influential coalition including churches, trade unions, and business groups characterizes the situation as a national crisis, while reporting that authorities lack a coordinated plan to protect vulnerable communities from worsening El Niño impacts.
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Guardian documents cascading drought crisis across PNG
Investigation reveals rivers and creeks have dried up in regions like Bulolo district; family food gardens have shriveled; schools and health facilities operating at reduced capacity or closing due to water scarcity; families rationing to one meal per day in highland areas.
“All our rivers have dried up, including the one behind my house. Now, my children and I have to walk for miles every afternoon to fetch water for cooking and drinking from the other side.”
— Martha Zureno -
background
Severe rainfall deficits emerge across PNG regions — Some parts of Papua New Guinea received less than a quarter of their usual rainfall beginning in August, with the drought intensifying across multiple provinces including Morobe.
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background
PNG National Weather Service declares El Niño onset — The PNG National Weather Service officially declared the beginning of El Niño in June, though much of the country was already in drought conditions with approximately 8 million people affected at that point.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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3 outlets El Niño-driven drought in Papua New Guinea a ‘national crisis’ as rivers dry up and local farms fail
first by The Guardian, 9d ago · also Guardian Environment, Guardian