The United Nations food agency, World Food Programme (WFP) says one in five children in Sri Lanka are acutely malnourished (wasting) as the human development, especially of women and children remains stagnant while the country is trying to emerge from a prolonged war and devastating natural disasters.
The WFP in its Country Brief for March 2018 says Sri Lanka, a lower middle-income country, .continues to struggle with the effects of a 27-year civil conflict that resulted in significant economic and social damage and improvements in human development, nutritional status of children, women and adolescents remain stagnant.
The Demographic and Health Survey (2016) informs that poor nutrition is prevalent throughout the life cycle, starting with almost 1 in 6 infants born with low birth weight, and 1 in 6 of all children 0-59 months are wasted (low weight for height).
Further, Sri Lanka is ranked 4th among 181 countries prone to climate shocks (Global Climate Risk Index) contributing to increased frequency of natural disasters (droughts and floods) that compound food and nutrition security.
WFP and the Ministry of Disaster Management have formulated a drought impact analysis report (March) to assess the impact of the 2016-17 drought that is continuing through 2018 affecting the populations living in the dry zone.
The findings inform that as of January, the harvest is less than 79 percent which will be sufficient for only seven months of the national consumption.
Further, the total rainfall in January was reported below the average of approximately 30 percent. As a result of limited availability of ground water as well as the drop of the water levels, affected households face difficulties in finding drinking water.
The report recommends that the government take immediate action to reduce the impact of drought among the vulnerable population and take measures to safeguard the upcoming Yala (secondary) harvest season.
