Vanuatu declares drought in northern areas as El Nino brings dry weather

The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday declared a drought in parts of the country, urging people to use water sparingly.

The meteorological service declared the first stage of drought for northern parts of the country after three months of low rainfall, with the dry conditions driven by the arrival of El Nino and posing growing risks to regional agriculture, according to an official statement.

The warning covers all of Torba province and parts of Sanma, Penama, and Malampa provinces.

Officials urged people to conserve water for human and animal use.

The drought declaration in Vanuatu, home to 336,000 people, comes as El Nino has been declared in the Pacific, bringing longer periods of hot and dry weather.

El Nino is the sustained warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

The weather service noted that light rain may still fall occasionally, but months of regular rainfall will be needed to alleviate the water shortage.

Farmers are also being asked to conserve stored water to protect their crops.

Other Pacific countries are also taking similar steps to prepare. Papua New Guinea is sending aid to water-scarce areas, while authorities in Tonga met last month to prepare for the impact of El Nino. Fiji has also set aside funds to address expected water shortages.