Shorts: WFP Food Air Drops in South Sudan

Have you heard or seen airdrops done by WFP? Airdrops represent the "last resort" for essential rations.

In the most inaccessible parts of South Sudan, cut off by conflict, insecurity and poor infrastructure, and additionally difficult to traverse because of its mostly unpaved roadways and not always safe waterways, the sight of unidentified objects raining down from the sky means World Food Programme (WFP) planes are dropping much-needed food (white for sorghum, red for pulses, blue for specialized nutritious foods) that could not otherwise reach people often living through famine-like conditions.

Dropping food by parachute from a height of five kilometres (17,000 feet) into a tiny drop zone surrounded by makeshift houses made from found wood and tarpaulins is challenging and risky but it is the only way to get life-saving food to households who had no food access for almost a year.

Airdrops require extreme precision, detailed information including meteorological analysis, steel nerves and artful skills at the time of delivery.

Specially trained pilots must carefully calibrate the altitude that will allow the approximately 90kg packages to hit the ground intact and undamaged — and also not accidentally land on and injure those waiting in the field below to begin the job of sorting and delivering the foodstuffs to the communities in need.

Once the airdrop reach the ground it can make the difference between sustenance and starvation.

Checkout: Earth last food airdrop zone - in pictures

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