UNITED NATIONS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations expressed concern on Monday about the effects of the drought in Southeast Africa, leading Zimbabwe to become the third country in the region to announce a state of emergency.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Zimbabwe joins Zambia and Malawi suffering the effects of El Nino on the state of emergency list.

OCHA said that more than 2.7 million people in Zimbabwe are facing food insecurity because of the drought, despite the government and humanitarian partners investing in programs meant to head off the worst impacts of drought.

"The humanitarian community in the country is also concerned that the scarcity and depletion of safe water sources could lead to an uptick in communicable diseases," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The United Nations and its partners stand ready to scale up life-saving assistance in Zimbabwe but need adequate funding to do so."

He said a flash appeal for the humanitarian response to the drought in Zimbabwe is being drawn up and will launch soon.

Southern Africa is suffering from drought more than usual this time of year because of global warming causing higher temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the naturally occurring El Nino phenomenon. Enditem

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