Millions of people across the world are expected to suffer from hunger and disease in 2016 due to the effects of a super El Niño. Oxfam, a global aid and development charity, predicted in a press release that the world’s humanitarian system could face an unprecedented level of strain, with conflicts in Syria, South Sudan and Yemen contributing to the threats.

The strong El Niño is expected to cause droughts and increase flooding in some populated areas around the world. Oxfam estimates that tens of millions of people would suffer from hunger, water shortage and diseases.

Aid agencies suggest early action to help prepare the vulnerable people from the impact of El Niño. However, Oxfam believes it is already too late for some regions to avoid major emergency.

In Ethiopia, 10.2 million people are expected to seek humanitarian assistance in 2016 due to drought. In addition, many people in Haiti and Papua New Guinea are already experiencing the impact of drought and crop failure, according to Jane Cocking, Oxfam’s Humanitarian Director.

“We urgently need to get help to these areas to make sure people have enough food and water,” she said.

Oxfam is planning to help 777,000 people in Ethiopia to have access to clean water, sanitation facilities and emergency food and livelihood support. However, the charity said it is facing a funding gap of US$25 million (AU$35 million).

Places in southern Africa could also experience food shortage in February, with several provinces already declared as disaster areas due to drought. The national food security forecast in Malawi for 2015–2016 estimates 2.8 million people will need humanitarian assistance before March.

Furthermore, two million people living in countries in Central America, such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, already need food support because of drought and inconsistent rains. Oxfam added that floods are also expected in January, which could worsen the situation.

The charity also fears that the El Niño could contribute to the existing stresses like the conflicts in Syria, South Sudan and Yemen. The United Nations said that about 60 million people have already been forced to flee their homes due to the conflicts.

“Aid agencies are already stretched responding to the crises in Syria, South Sudan and Yemen,” Cocking said. “We cannot afford to allow other large-scale emergencies to develop elsewhere. If the world waits to respond to emerging crises in southern Africa and Latin America, we will not be able to cope.”

Oxfam said governments and donors could still help the at-risk people cope with drought and flooding. People could help by conserving soil and water, reducing herds of livestock to more manageable sizes and by ensuring early treatment of cases of malnutrition.

According to a study by the Department for International Development in the UK, these measures could reduce the cost of responding to an emergency by 40 percent per person.

World leaders should also continue taking strong climate action to keep global warming to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, which could help reduce the effects of El Niño, Oxfam said. Commitments to ensure sufficient climate adaptation finance for vulnerable communities are needed to help people adapt to increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather.

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