Sabah suffers food shortages

Sabah suffers food shortages

MATUNGGONG, Malaysia (Reuters): A combination of drought and
forest fires have shriveled crops in Malaysia's Sabah state on
Borneo island, forcing hungry villagers to eat wild tapioca.

"We have been eating wild tapioca since January when our rice
supplies ran out," Thomas Monginjing said in Matunggong, 200
kilometers northeast of Sabah's state capital of Kota Kinabalu.

Authorities and relief agencies said more than 6,000 villagers
in Matunggong were short of food due to the drought that started
last October.

The dry weather, blamed on the El Nino phenomenon, has dried
up streams in the district, forcing villagers to dig wells of
murky water for drinking and washing.