16 Apr 2014

Recent floods in Solomons puts huge strain on food supplies - UNICEF

4:31 am on 16 April 2014

UNICEF says farmers on Guadalcanal have been severely affected by the recent floods, which is putting a huge strain on food supplies in Solomon Islands.

The executive director of UNICEF in New Zealand, Dennis McKinley, says large amounts of mud has smothered and killed the crops.

Mr McKinley says it's having a real impact on people's ability to feed their families and a continuous supply of relief will be needed for months.

"There's been some food brought in. Rice, in particular, has been given to families and that's going to have to go on for quite a while. The government have given seed out for people to replant their gardens. There's a lot of work to be done around this emergency still and it will take months before people are returning to normality."

Dennis McKinley says there is also a shortage of water and sanitation supplies in rural Guadalcanal.