Drought strains food and water supplies as power outages widen in Papua New Guinea.
Why it matters: Papua New Guinea depends heavily on rain-fed farming, rainwater collection and small food gardens. Falling water levels at Sirinumu Dam are also putting pressure on electricity supply for households and businesses in Port Moresby and Central Province.
- The National Weather Service estimate cited by The Guardian puts the number affected at as many as 8 million, but does not define the population category or methodology.
- Low water levels at Sirinumu Dam have reduced generation, prompting PNG Power to schedule outages in Port Moresby and Central Province.
- NBC reported that by September 29, 2026, rotational outages had expanded to four-hour blocks after a technical fault worsened the supply shortfall.
- The Guardian published its report on October 30, 2026, after the events described in the NBC account.
A drought linked by reports to El Niño is straining food production and water supplies across Papua New Guinea, The Guardian reported on October 30, 2026.
The Guardian cited a National Weather Service estimate that as many as 8 million people are affected. That is an estimate of people exposed to or affected by drought conditions, not an established population count for those experiencing power outages or requiring humanitarian assistance. The report does not define the category or explain the calculation.
The report said some locations received less than one-quarter of normal rainfall in August, though it did not identify those locations. Kasis Inape, an assistant director at the weather service, said many people depend on rainfall to survive and feed themselves. The drought's effect on food production is attributed here to those reported rainfall conditions and Papua New Guinea's reliance on rain-fed farming and small food gardens.
The Guardian reported that low water levels at Sirinumu Dam reduced generation and that PNG Power introduced scheduled electricity outages in Port Moresby and Central Province. It attributed to PNG Power a projection that outages could continue for about 10 months, depending on weather conditions. The supplied material does not include the exact PNG Power notice, so that figure is treated as a projected duration, not the length of each outage.
NBC reported that by September 29, 2026, rotational outages had expanded to four-hour blocks after a technical fault compounded the low-water shortfall. The supplied material does not identify NBC's publication date, so the sequence is clear only at the event level: the outages expanded by September 29, followed by The Guardian's October 30 report.
By the numbers
- Up to 8 million - National Weather Service estimate cited by The Guardian; the affected population category and methodology are unspecified.
- Four hours - Rotational outage blocks reported by NBC by September 29, 2026.
- About 10 months - PNG Power projection, as reported by The Guardian, for how long outages could continue; this is not the duration of each scheduled outage.
Yes, but: The major figures and causal links are reported by The Guardian and NBC, but the supplied material does not include a primary PNG Power outage notice, rainfall dataset or independent assessment of the 8 million estimate.