A green island turns red: Madagascans struggle through long drought

Sand begins to surround houses close to the town of Ambovombe, Androy region, Madagascar, February 15, 2022. Madagascar has always known extreme weather events, but scientists say these will likely increase as human-induced climate change pushes temperatures higher. Four years of drought, along with deforestation caused by people burning or cutting down trees to make charcoal or to open up land for farming, have transformed the area into a dust bowl. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

With precious few trees left to slow the wind in this once fertile corner of southern Madagascar, red sand is blowing everywhere: onto fields, villages and roads, and into the eyes of children waiting for food aid parcels.

Four years of drought, the worst in decades, along with deforestation caused by people burning or cutting down trees to make charcoal or to open up land for farming, have transformed the area into a dust bowl.