Lobamba – Eswatini needs E1.304 billion to prepare for and respond to the impending El Niño-induced drought, with 286,000 people already projected to face acute food insecurity between October 2026 and March 2027, Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla has told Parliament.
Presenting a ministerial statement in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Dladla said the country was facing a narrowing window to prepare for a very strong El Niño weather phenomenon expected to bring below-normal and erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells and extreme heat during the 2026/27 season.
The proposed budget includes E356.9 million for immediate preparedness and anticipatory action, while E947 million is required for response and recovery activities. Dladla said the scale of the anticipated emergency could exceed the country’s available resources, making urgent financial support from development partners, international organisations and the private sector critical.
Of the 286,000 people projected to experience acute food insecurity, 22,000 are expected to face Emergency-level food insecurity. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that these projections were made before the confirmation of a very strong El Niño, meaning they should be treated as a minimum planning baseline rather than the full extent of the potential crisis.
The warning comes as the country faces a significant shortfall in its staple food supply. According to Dladla, domestic maize production stands at 69,064 metric tonnes against an annual requirement of approximately 160,000 metric tonnes, leaving a deficit of 90,936 metric tonnes that must be covered through imports.
She said high food, fuel, water and electricity costs were already weakening households’ purchasing power, leaving vulnerable families with limited capacity to absorb another climate-related shock.
A failed agricultural season could worsen hunger and malnutrition, reduce crop and livestock production, deplete water sources, increase diarrhoea-related illnesses and veld fires, and disrupt the operations of schools, health facilities and businesses.
Dladla said Government was calling for coordinated early action to prevent the impending drought from developing into a wider humanitarian and socioeconomic emergency.
2015/16 drought lessons
The Deputy Prime Minister reminded Parliament of the devastating effects of the 2015/16 El Niño-induced drought, which caused estimated losses of E3.843 billion, equivalent to about seven per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product at the time.
She said approximately 100,000 livestock were lost during that drought, while dam levels and river flows fell below 30 per cent. Some agricultural operations were suspended, resulting in temporary job losses.
In response, the country provided emergency food assistance to more than 400,000 people, distributed water, rehabilitated water systems and introduced measures such as school breakfast programmes.
Dladla said the experience demonstrated the importance of acting before conditions deteriorated, rather than waiting for the full effects of drought to be felt by households and communities.
Up to 400,000 could need assistance
Government, through the National Disaster Risk Management Authority (NDRMA), has prepared a 2026–2028 emergency preparedness, response and recovery plan in collaboration with government ministries, non-governmental organisations and the United Nations.
The national framework anticipates that up to 400,000 people could require livelihood or emergency support as the situation develops.
Dladla said the plan prioritised life-saving interventions and measures to protect the lives, livelihoods and dignity of EmaSwati.
These include food assistance for the most vulnerable households, livestock feed in the form of hay bales, and the establishment and rehabilitation of water systems.
Government also intends to strengthen school feeding programmes, provide supplementary feeding for children, intensify nutrition surveillance and ensure that medicines for diarrhoea-related illnesses are available before the situation worsens.
Other planned interventions include strengthening early-warning systems, monitoring drought conditions, increasing public awareness and improving risk communication so that communities can make informed decisions as the season progresses.
Dladla said the response would be coordinated across sectors, with life-saving measures taking precedence as available resources dictated the scale and timing of interventions.
E200m for water security projects
Beyond immediate relief, Government has included infrastructure investments aimed at improving the country’s resilience to drought and addressing electricity and water supply challenges.
Dladla said the response plan had prioritised dredging Mkinkomo Dam to increase its reservoir capacity. The intervention is intended to support more continuous electricity generation and reduce the cost of importing electricity.
Government also plans to raise the Luphohlo Dam wall by an estimated five metres to increase its water storage capacity. The project is expected to cost approximately E150 million.
A further E50 million is required to complete the Luphohlo-Mbabane pipeline, which Dladla said was important in protecting the capital city against water shortages.
Together, the estimated E200 million required for the Luphohlo Dam wall and pipeline projects represents a substantial part of the longer-term infrastructure response to drought.
The proposed interventions come as water availability and the cost of essential services remain major concerns for households and businesses.
Taiwan commits 1,500 tonnes of rice
On food assistance, Dladla said the NDRMA, working with World Vision Eswatini and World Vision Taiwan, had mobilised an estimated 2,000 metric tonnes of rice expected to arrive in the country in early 2027.
A further 1,500 metric tonnes of rice has been committed by the Government of Taiwan and is expected to arrive before the end of 2026.
The combined commitments amount to 3,500 metric tonnes of rice, although the two consignments have different expected arrival dates.
Dladla said Government would also seek to add locally sourced maize grain and procure complementary commodities, including beans and cooking oil, to provide affected households with a more complete food basket.
The planned food supplies form part of the wider effort to protect vulnerable families from worsening food shortages as the drought threat intensifies.
Government appeals for funding
Dladla said Government was validating the needs arising from the impending emergency, mobilising domestic resources and investing through the Disaster Risk Management Fund.
However, she said the anticipated requirements were likely to exceed national capacity, making early, flexible and predictable financing essential.
She appealed to the nation, the United Nations system, development partners, international non-governmental organisations, financing institutions and the private sector to accelerate resource mobilisation in support of the national response.
The assistance sought would finance early interventions, food supplies, water provision, agricultural production, livestock feed, health and nutrition supplies, risk communication, logistics and the delivery of assistance to affected communities.
Dladla further called on partners to align their programmes with Government-led coordination to ensure that resources were directed towards the country’s identified priorities.
She said the objective was to act before rainfall failure, water shortages and rising prices pushed vulnerable households beyond their ability to cope.
‘No life should be lost’
Concluding her statement, Dladla said Government’s earnest desire was to ensure that no life was lost as a result of the impending threat.
She said Government would mobilise all available efforts to prevent the loss of lives and livelihoods while safeguarding the country’s development gains.
The Deputy Prime Minister urged EmaSwati to follow advice issued by the relevant authorities as the situation progressed.
She also appealed for patience, cooperation and understanding, noting that response interventions would be prioritised according to available resources, with life-saving measures taking precedence.
The statement places food security, water availability, public health and the protection of livelihoods at the centre of the country’s preparations for the 2026/27 season, while highlighting the need for additional resources to meet the projected scale of the emergency.
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