El Niño: protecting health before water runs short
UNICEF’s latest El Niño warning is a reminder to prepare before water and food supplies come under pressure. For remote communities, protecting drinking water, supporting nutrition and keeping care reachable belong together. Our climate and health page explains these connections in East Sumba.
On 6 October, UNICEF warned that El Niño-related changes in rainfall could place children’s health, nutrition and access to safe water under greater pressure across Asia and the Pacific between October and December 2026. The risks vary across the region; this is not a precise forecast for an individual village in Sumba.
For our work in East Sumba, the practical questions are connected: how can drinking water remain safe and available, how can families maintain adequate nutrition, and how can patients reach care when weather disrupts daily life?
Preparing for these pressures means considering water protection, essential supplies and continuity of care together. Our climate and health page explains the pathways linking heat, water, food, infections and access to treatment in rural Indonesia.
