UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Drought-hit Ethiopians are facing a worsening food situation as the cost of maize soars nearly three-fold in some areas of the country compared with last year, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned Friday.

    Critical malnutrition has been identified with the increase of migration by people from rural to urban areas in search of food, a UN press release quoted the OCHA as saying.

    In some areas, grave water and pasture shortages have been reported, it added.

    The OCHA said that it anticipates worsening malnutrition and a rise in child labor and begging, in view of the reduced food rations which began in July and would run until December.

    The office also warned that without adequate rains in the October-December period, food insecurity will continue well into next year.

    Earlier this week, the OCHA appealed for more than 265 million U.S. dollars to fund relief operations in Ethiopia for the next three months. Some 6.4 million people are estimated to need urgent assistance.

    A recent joint assessment by the Ethiopian authorities and the international humanitarian community found that an extra 1.8 million people have been hit hard by the crisis since the previous assessment in June.