Papua New Guinea needs food relief for 1.2 million as El Nino ocean temperatures top 1997 and 2015

6 October 2026

UN News reported that water sources are drying up, crops are failing and food prices are rising across Papua New Guinea. In September the Nino 3.4 index, a measure of sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific used to track El Nino, surpassed the temperatures recorded during every previous El Nino event, including 1997 and 2015. El Nino conditions have been present since mid-2026 and are forecast to peak between October and December. The Government declared the event in June, established a dedicated task force and approved a $112 million supplementary budget. Some 1.2 million people are estimated to require direct food relief. The largest impacts on agriculture and food security are expected from November. Across the Greater Horn of Africa the same event could instead bring wetter-than-normal conditions, river and flash flooding and waterborne disease.