Among calls to Radio Ergo's audience feedback platform this week (12-18 December 2024) there was an increase on previous weeks in the number of people speaking of concerning levels of drought and water shortage and asking for aid. There was also an uptick in calls about livestock diseases and livestock deaths notably from Sanag, Bari, and Galmudug regions, a third of the callers being women. Several callers in Somaliland, Puntland, Hiran, and Gedo spoke of attacks by locusts destroying crops and vegetation. Several callers in Middle Shabelle region complained about the ongoing and recurrent effects of river flooding. The following summarises the calls by theme.

Drought and water shortage - in Somaliland, three callers in Marodi-Jeh spoke of drought conditions, dry winds, and water shortage. A female caller in Burao, Togdher region, said they were being affected by recurrent droughts. Among callers from Sanag, a caller in Tulo-Qoyan said they were facing food and water shortage and were appealing for aid. The caller wanted his message to be shared. Two others in Sanag said they were facing water shortage. In Puntland's Bari region, a female caller in Bosaso said they were facing severe drought and urgently needed water aid, whilst another caller said the rainfall had been sparse. A female caller in Galkayo, Mudug region, said they were facing drought and the rainy season had been short-lived. A caller in Bandiradley noted that whilst the rainfall had been little and they hoped for more, their livestock still had fodder. Among several calls from Galgadud, a female caller in Abudwak said the drought was severe in the area and no aid organisations were present to help. Another added that as well as drought, Abudwak also faced conflict and aid agencies were needed to help the people in a desperate situation. A caller in Guriel said they were facing drought and wanted aid organisations to reach them. A female caller in Idole said they were facing water shortage and had lost most of their livestock already to drought and the remaining animals were now at risk. She appealed to aid organisations for help. In Hiran region, a caller in El-Ade said they were facing severe drought and needed the Somali government to bring aid. A caller in Beletweyne described water shortage, influx of mosquitoes, and hardship. He wanted his message shared so they could get aid. A caller in Jawiil said they were experiencing drought and many people had migrated to the villages near the river to access water. In Middle Shabelle region, a caller said the weather was extremely hot and there had been no rain. People were now transporting their livestock by small boat to Bal'ano to find water and grazing. He prayed for rainfall. One caller in Goljano, Lower Juba region, said they faced drought conditions. In Gedo region, a caller in Bardera said their crops were failing as they hadn't had rain. Another in Qurdubey near Dollow said they faced water shortage and their livestock were dying. He said the children and women were at great risk and he was appealing for intervention. One female caller in Baidoa, Bay region, also said they needed aid because of drought.

Livestock - in Sanag region, callers mentioned measles affecting their herds. A caller in Yufle said their livestock were sick and weak and they needed the Somaliland government to help with treatment campaigns. Another in Sanag said the drought was affecting people and livestock, and the livestock had measles. He added that they needed urgent help. A caller in Karkar, Bari region, said his goats were having difficulty breathing and couldn't stand up or eat. A female caller in Bandiradley also said her goats were sick and struggling to breathe and she needed veterinary advice. In Galgadud, a female caller in Qayib said their goats were thin and dying from disease called Dabo-Kilkil. She wanted treatment advice. Another female caller in Guriel described a contagious diarrhoeal disease with mouth sores killing her goats. She wanted diagnosis and treatment advice.

Locusts - in the north, a caller in Qaloan, Togdher region, said they had been invaded by a locust plague that had affected their crops and livestock. Two callers in Sanag described locust invasions, including one in Dhahar, who said the locusts were destroying all the vegetation. A caller in Puntland asked for the local administration and other organisation to help control locusts that had descended on their area in the past two days. In Hiran, one caller in Beletweyne said locusts had landed on their farms overnight on 11 December and were destroying their harvests. He appealed for help. One caller in Burdubo, Gedo region, also complained of being invaded by locusts and needing control assistance.

Health and Education - a caller in Rako-Raho, Bari region, said they were facing severe drought and health issues, and that there were no medicines in the hospitals. He said they were urgently appealing for aid and wanted their message to be shared. A female caller in Dhusamareb, Galgadud region, said they needed education and health centres in their area. Another caller in Burao, Togdher, also wanted education centres in the region.

Nutrition - a caller wanted to know if Radio Ergo's nutrition programme experts could also address the needs of elderly people as well as malnutrition among children.

IDPs - a caller in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle, said they were IDPs in Biayasa camp facing water shortage. They couldn't afford to buy water. He said they had previously received three months of aid from Save the Children, indicating that they needed aid now.

Floods - a caller in Middle Shabelle said the river flood waters had not receded yet and people were facing food insecurity as the floods had led to crop failure. He asked for urgent assistance from WFP and other aid organisations. A female caller in Jowhar said they were concerned about recurring floods that destroyed their crops every time. A caller in Balad also said recurring floods kept destroying their farms and they needed long-term solutions.