And, while rains are due soon this number will increase because no new gardens could be planted during the drought. Meteorologists predict that this dry wea- ther will continue. This means that people living in lowland areas will also be affected. There they rely on the sago palm but this requires much water to extract the starch from its pulp. Drinking water is running low in many rural areas.
People have to walk for miles to fetch drinking water and sources are often polluted.
Old people and babies are dying from related diseases such as typhoid. There are reports from the worst affected areas of people dying from eating unsuitable wild foods. Papua New Guinea growers usually burn dry vegetation in the dry season before establishing new gardens. Many of these fires have gone out of control and large areas are engulfed in clouds of thick smoke. In some areas the fires have swept into primary forests which are a major tourist attraction.