essay on droughts

ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

Below-average precipitation affects the amount of moisture in soil as well as the amount of water in streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater.

Earth Science, Climatology, Conservation, Anthropology

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A drought is a period of time when an area or region experiences below-normal precipitation . The lack of adequate precipitation , either rain or snow, can cause reduced soil moisture or groundwater , diminished stream flow, crop damage, and a general water shortage. Droughts are the second-most costly weather events after hurricanes.

Unlike with sudden weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms, it is often difficult to pinpoint when a drought has started or when it has ended. The initial effects of a drought may be difficult to identify right away, so it may take weeks or months to determine that a drought has started. The end of a drought is hard to identify for the same reason. A drought may last for weeks, months, or even years. Sometimes, drought conditions can exist for a decade or more in a region. The longer a drought lasts, the greater the harmful effects it has on people.

Droughts affect people in a several ways. Access to clean drinking water is essential for all life, and sources of water may dwindle during a drought . Without the presence of water, people must bring in enough water from elsewhere to survive. Water is also needed for crops to grow. When not enough precipitation falls to naturally water crops , they must be watered by irrigation . Irrigation is possible only when there is enough water in nearby rivers, lakes, or streams, or from groundwater . During a drought , these water sources are diminished and may even dry up, preventing crops from being irrigated and causing them to die off.

One person studying these problems is Alexandra Cousteau, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer whose latest initiative is Blue Legacy. She started Blue Legacy to raise awareness that we live on a water planet and must take care of it. Cousteau, the granddaughter of the famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, believes that water will be a crucial issue in this century. She predicts that water problems such as drought , storms, floods, and degraded water quality will create “water refugees :” people migrating in search of water. Cousteau stresses that we must do all we can to protect Earth’s valuable freshwater resources.

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Related Resources

Two Ethiopian women with water containers on their back walk with a herd of livestock through a drought-stricken landscape.

What is drought? Causes, impact & countries most affected

East Africa is facing its worst drought in 40 years, with over 1.4 million people displaced by drought in Somalia alone. Learn more about drought, what causes it, and how we can support those most impacted.

Around the world, droughts are becoming increasingly common due to rising global temperatures — and have serious impacts, leading to crop failures, famine and malnutrition.

East Africa , for example, is facing its worst drought in years, affecting 40 million people. Many are facing near-famine and malnutrition because of the drought’s impact on food supplies.

Learn more about drought, what causes it, and what the IRC is doing to help in East Africa.

Support our work

What is drought .

Drought is caused by a lack of rainfall, causing serious water shortages. It can be fatal.

More specifically, drought is defined by a period of unusually dry weather caused by low rainfall and high temperatures. It is also defined in terms of the impact on agriculture when crops fail due to lack of moisture in soil, leading to food shortages and serious human impacts such as famine in severe cases.

Unlike other extreme weather events that are more sudden, like earthquakes or hurricanes, droughts happen gradually. But they can be just as deadly as other weather hazards—if not more so. Drought has affected more people in the last 40 years than any other natural disaster.

The severity of drought worsens over time. When it arrives, drought can last for weeks, months, or years—sometimes, the effects last decades.

What causes drought?

Droughts can be triggered by natural causes such as weather patterns. But increasingly they are caused by human activity.

A small hut in a displaced persons camp in Konso, Ethiopia is surrounded by a drought-stricken landscape.

Human causes of drought

Climate change : Global warming makes extreme weather more likely. It can make places drier by increasing evaporation. When land becomes so dry, an impermeable crust forms, so when it does rain, water runs off the surface, meaning sometimes flash flooding occurs.

Deforestation : Plants and trees capture and release water into the atmosphere, which creates clouds and then rain. Scientists have observed a relationship between deforestation and drought.

Agriculture : Intensive farming contributes to deforestation in the first instance but can also affect the absorbency of the soil, meaning it dries out much more quickly.

High water demand : There are several reasons water demand might outweigh the supply, including intensive agriculture and population spikes. Also, high demand upstream in rivers (for dams or irrigation) can cause drought in lower, downstream areas.

Other natural causes of drought

Changes in ocean temperatures : El Niño and La Niña are climate patterns that can cause drought in some parts of the world. El Niño is characterized by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which can lead to drought in the southwestern United States and southern Africa. La Niña is characterized by cooler-than-average ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which can lead to drought in Australia and Indonesia.

The jet stream : The jet stream is a band of strong winds that flows high in the atmosphere. Changes in the jet stream can cause drought in some areas by bringing in dry air from other parts of the world.

How are people impacted by drought?

Risk of famine .

Drought causes food insecurity when crops fail. When a substantial part of the population can no longer access food this is known as famine and results in widespread acute malnutrition, disease and death across the affected region.

East Africa is currently experiencing widespread food shortages and near-famine, with millions of children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

Malnutrition

A lack of nutritious food caused by food shortages leads to acute malnutrition. Children suffering from malnutrition are a high risk category. Deprived of essential vitamins and minerals required for their proper growth, they are prone to disease, severe developmental delays and even death.

Effective treatment for children suffering from malnutrition exists, but often does not reach those most in need. The IRC has developed a simplified process for treating malnutrition in order to reach more children with lower costs.

Increase in diseases

Drought affects vital access to clean drinking water. This can lead to people drinking contaminated water, which brings about outbreaks of diseases like cholera and typhoid. These diseases can also spread in places with poor sanitation, another side-effect of having no clean water.

It can cause wildfires

Dry conditions can cause wildfires that burn remaining vegetation and endanger homes. Fires can also impact air quality and exacerbate chronic lung conditions.

People are displaced

People must travel further to find clean water. This usually falls to women and children, who must sacrifice other work and school to carry out an incredibly physical task.

Without access to clean water or food, many must permanently leave their homes in order to survive. The World Health Organization states , “Water scarcity impacts 40% of the world’s population, and as many as 700 million people are at risk of being displaced as a result of drought by 2030.”

Related : Meet the people displaced by drought in Somalia

It can feed into conflict

Research has also found that drought exacerbates existing conflicts. People migrating en masse from areas of drought and famine can result in increased political tensions and conflict due to increased competition for resources. There is evidence that drought contributed to the conflict in Syria , for example.

Flash flooding

Flooding can also be a risk in the same geographical areas that suffer from drought.

Rain after a drought sounds like it ought to be a good thing, but after a prolonged period of dryness, sudden heavy rainfall can lead to hazardous flash flooding like that seen in Pakistan.

This is because droughts leave the ground hard and baked, with little to no plant cover and low soil quality, which prevents rain from saturating the ground. Instead, when waterfalls in a large quantity and at speed—like in a thunderstorm—it runs over the parched ground.

Two women fill up water containers. Ones holds a baby on her hip as she does so.

Which countries are in a drought?

Droughts can occur all around the world. However, the effects of drought vary by region.

Droughts bring the most risk to areas with high-pressure weather systems that are already prone to desertification. Developing countries are also more vulnerable to the socio-economic effects of drought due to a large percentage of their population being employed in the agriculture industry. 

East Africa

In Africa droughts pose a high risk and the following countries in East Africa are severely affected by drought:

Somalia where drought is leading to near-famine conditions

Kenya which has experienced a record six below average rainy seasons

Ethiopia has seen six below average rainy seasons in a drought affecting 31 million people

Over 40 million people have been impacted by the drought across East Africa. The drought affecting countries like Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia began in October 2020. Throughout these regions, insecurity, severe drought, and an exponential increase in food prices have brought millions to the brink of famine.

“Somalia is seeing the worst of the crisis, with over 200,000 already living in the most extremes of hunger, but the challenge is regional,” says Abukar Mohamud, IRC’s Deputy Director of Programs for Somalia. “Across East Africa, people are facing the worst drought in 40 years.

“People are not just dying due to a lack of food. Hunger means their weakened bodies cannot fight off diseases like diarrhea, measles or malaria, so death rates are high. Children are particularly at risk and often die at double the rate of adults. And those who survive will face ill health for the rest of their lives. The 2011 famine saw over 250,000 people die of hunger – half of whom were children.”

What is the IRC doing to help in East Africa?

An IRC-supported health worker hands a mother several packets of PlumpyNut, a highly form of malnutrition treatment.

East Africa is home to some of the IRC’s longest-running programs globally. Today, over 2,000 IRC staff in the region are scaling up our programs to address the current drought and rising food insecurity, including expanding to new areas to meet severe needs.

This includes health programming, food and cash assistance, and providing clean water.

A new approach to treating malnutrition

Currently, 80% of malnourished children do not have access to treatment. The IRC has developed a streamlined approach for treatment so that more children can access treatment and recover. We are working to raise funds and remove blocks so that this treatment can be distributed at scale in places like East Africa.

How can I help?

Around the world, our staff are working around the clock to ensure families can survive, recover and regain control of their futures. Donate now to support our work.

Explore related topics:

Malnutrition
Climate crisis
Natural Disasters

Essay on Drought

Students are often asked to write an essay on Drought in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Drought

Understanding drought.

Drought is a natural event that happens when an area gets less rain than normal. It can last for months or even years.

Causes of Drought

Droughts often occur due to lack of rain. Sometimes, high temperatures can also cause drought by making water evaporate from soil and plants.

Effects of Drought

Drought can make it hard for plants and animals to survive. It can also lead to water shortages for people. In severe cases, drought can cause famine.

Dealing with Drought

People can deal with drought by conserving water, using it wisely, and planning for dry periods.

Also check:

Paragraph on Drought

250 Words Essay on Drought

Introduction.

Drought is a natural disaster characterized by a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water. It is a complex phenomenon that can have serious ecological, social, and economic impacts.

Droughts are primarily caused by irregularities in global weather patterns. Climate change has been identified as a significant factor, with increasing global temperatures leading to changes in rainfall patterns and increased evaporation rates. Human activities, such as deforestation and overuse of water resources, can also exacerbate drought conditions.

Impacts of Drought

Drought can have severe consequences for both the environment and human societies. It can lead to crop failure, livestock death, and water shortages, impacting food production and access to clean water. This can consequently lead to malnutrition, disease, and death, particularly in vulnerable populations. Economically, droughts can result in increased prices and job losses in agricultural sectors.

Drought Mitigation

Mitigation strategies for drought include water conservation, efficient irrigation techniques, and the development of drought-resistant crops. Additionally, improving climate forecasting can help societies prepare for and manage drought conditions. Policymakers must also prioritize sustainable water management to ensure that water resources are used efficiently and equitably.

Drought is a pressing global issue that requires concerted efforts to mitigate its impacts. By understanding its causes and consequences, we can develop effective strategies to manage drought and reduce its harmful effects on society and the environment.

500 Words Essay on Drought

Drought, a natural disaster characterized by a prolonged period of insufficient rainfall, is a global phenomenon with profound impacts on both human and ecological systems. It is a complex, multi-dimensional issue that involves various aspects of climate, hydrology, and human activities.

Droughts occur when there is an extended period of below-average precipitation. This deficiency of water supply can last for months or even years. Droughts are categorized into three types: meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological. Meteorological droughts are associated with reduced rainfall, agricultural droughts with soil moisture deficits affecting crop production, and hydrological droughts with reduced water availability in streams, reservoirs, and aquifers.

The primary cause of drought is a lack of precipitation over an extended period. This can be due to natural climate variability, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or changes in atmospheric conditions that suppress the formation of clouds and rainfall. Human activities, such as deforestation and overuse of water resources, can also contribute to the occurrence and severity of droughts.

The impacts of drought are far-reaching and can be devastating. They affect the environment, economy, and society. Environmental impacts include reduced water quality, loss of wildlife habitat, and increased risk of wildfires. Economically, drought can lead to crop failure, livestock death, and increased food prices, affecting food security. Social impacts include displacement of people, health issues due to lack of clean water, and increased conflicts over scarce water resources.

Drought Management and Mitigation

Effective drought management requires a proactive approach, focusing on reducing vulnerability and enhancing resilience. Strategies can include improving water infrastructure, implementing water conservation practices, and developing drought-tolerant crops. At the policy level, it involves developing comprehensive drought management plans, early warning systems, and drought risk insurance. Climate change adaptation strategies also play a crucial role in drought mitigation.

Drought is a significant global challenge that requires concerted efforts to mitigate and adapt. While it is a natural phenomenon, human activities have exacerbated its occurrence and impacts. Therefore, understanding drought, its causes, impacts, and management strategies is essential for sustainable development and resilience. As we move forward, it is crucial that we continue to enhance our knowledge and strategies to better manage and mitigate the effects of droughts.

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Yale Climate Connections

Climate change and droughts: What’s the connection?

Warmer temperatures lead to drying

Global warming increases the risk of drought in several ways.

For one, water generally evaporates more quickly at higher temperatures. For that reason, hotter weather can result in drier soils. As high air temperatures sap liquid water from soils and plant leaves, transforming it into atmospheric water vapor via a process called transpiration, ground-level drying will increase in some regions. (Ironically, this additional atmospheric moisture triggers heavier downpours in other regions , which explains why the overall trend in the U.S. has been toward wetter conditions.)

Higher air temperatures not only encourage drought conditions to build but also intensify them. What might have otherwise been a mild or moderate drought in a cooler world will become, in a warmer world, more severe as a result of increased evaporation.

Warming also diminishes snowfall, an essential water resource for the estimated 1.9 billion residents of the Northern Hemisphere who depend on snowpacks, or snow reservoirs that store water during the cooler months and release it when it’s needed in the warmer, drier months. Rising temperatures increase the fraction of winter precipitation that falls as rain rather than snow and also shorten the cold season, so there’s less time for snow to even occur. Such was the case in 2015, the fourth-warmest year in the contiguous U.S. , when a snow drought reduced the April snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range to a mere 5% of its historical average water content — its lowest snowpack in 500 years .

Seasonal melting of snowpacks can be thrown off-kilter, too. As average temperatures warm above freezing earlier in the spring, snowmelt occurs sooner and faster than usual. And rapid melting results in a shorter period during which soils and plants are kept moist.

Another way a warmer atmosphere can disrupt precipitation is by shifting storm tracks. Ordinarily, low-pressure systems known as extratropical cyclones form between 30 and 60 degrees latitude north and south of the equator. But as the climate warms globally, storms are shifting toward the poles. This means that weather features such as atmospheric rivers, which supply as much as 50% of annual precipitation to states in the Western U.S., could cease to pass over regions where their moisture is much-needed.

Is global warming causing more droughts?

Scientists see a clear correlation between droughts and global warming. But a correlation between two events doesn’t always mean one caused the other. For example, ice cream sales often increase around the time that baseball game attendance rises, but that does not mean that eating ice cream causes people to attend baseball games. Nor does it mean that attending baseball games causes people to eat ice cream.

It can be tricky to attribute an increase in droughts to global warming because droughts are variable. In other words, they can occur every year or every few years, last for years or decades, and cause varying levels of dryness. That makes it difficult to distinguish random events from those possibly shaped by human-caused warming. However, the more drought dovetails with trends of increasing temperature, decreasing precipitation, and with computer model projections, the more confident scientists are in pointing to climate change.

In a 2020 study in the journal Science, for example, researchers observed how human-caused climate change is contributing to the 21st-century megadrought in the Western U.S. and northern Mexico by evaluating trends in modeled temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation data between 1901 and 2018. According to the study’s findings, human-caused warming accounts for 46% of this drought’s severity.

What about the rest of the world? Scientists have been cautious about linking human activities to global drought patterns, largely because drought hasn’t occurred as uniformly worldwide as it has across individual regions. That said, building evidence supports the climate change-drought connection on a global scale.

According to an August 2021 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , scientists have high confidence that for every half degree Celsius (0.9 degree Fahrenheit) the atmosphere warms , noticeable increases will occur in some regions in the intensity and frequency of droughts that harm agriculture and ecosystems. Similarly, the report notes that extreme agricultural and ecological drought events that used to occur once every 10 years are now 1.7 times more likely than they were from 1850 to 1900, before humans heavily influenced the climate.

How drought-prone communities can endure future dry spells

While the intricacies of the climate change-drought connection are still being uncovered, scientists tend to agree on one thing: Droughts will likely become more intense into the 2050s and beyond. The likelihood of megadroughts – droughts lasting 10 years or more – is also projected to increase from its current 12% to more than 60%, a NASA study warns.

A conservation mindset is one of the best defenses against drought and its associated risks of wildfire, crop failure, energy crises, and more. Whether you’re preparing for a drought or are already experiencing one, strengthen your resilience by taking these actions:

Become drought-aware. Keep up with current drought conditions by visiting the National Integrated Drought Information System , and use the Drought Risk Atlas to explore how susceptible your region is to drought.
Xeriscape lawns and city green spaces. Replacing traditional lawn vegetation with native, drought-tolerant plants reduces a home’s outdoor water demand by 50-70% , according to National Geographic.
Repair leaky indoor and outdoor faucets. A seemingly small leak that drips once per second can waste 2,700 gallons of water a year, according to the American Red Cross .
Install green infrastructure. Green streets, green roofs, and porous pavements allow whatever rain that does fall to slowly soak into the ground and replenish local groundwater reserves rather than be lost to storm drains.
Improve your home’s energy efficiency. Since water is needed to generate hydroelectric power and for cooling in other types of energy production, power grids can easily become strained during droughts. Taking care to fully load dishwashers and washing machines, use “light wash” settings, and limit power consumption during peak times (4 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time) can help your community avoid preemptive power shutoffs, or worse, blackouts.
Build an emergency water supply in your pantry . The CDC recommends storing at least one gallon of water per person per day (half a gallon for drinking; half for personal use). Visit their website for tips on how to safely store drinking water .

Although drought is an immense concern now and in the future, taking small actions such as these can have cascading benefits.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published Aug. 18, 2021 and was updated May 8, 2023.

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Drought Essay in English for Students

August 12, 2021 by Sandeep

Essay on Drought: It is a closely associated natural disaster caused due to scanty or no rainfall. They are life-risking and take a heavy toll on poultry, human, and wildlife. An extreme water shortage causes crops to dry, and farmers run helter-skelter for their livelihood. Soil loses its retention capacity, and huge plots of fertile land turn into barren fields where nothing can be cultivated. Global warming and greenhouse gases mainly cause the drought situation to occur.

Essay on Drought

Below we have provided Drought Essay in English, suitable for classes 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10. This detailed essay on drought of 200-250 words is greatly helpful for all school students to perform well in essay writing competitions.

Drought is a natural calamity where there is a water shortage everywhere, even for essential needs. People in many countries are suffering from drought, and others are losing their lives because of the lack of water that contributes to food shortages. The effect of drought is terrible, and the affected country often has trouble returning to a healthy state. In some areas, starvation, as a result of drought, leads to several people’s death. Drought also affects crops’ production, causes forest fires, and leads to insufficient electricity production.

Causes of Drought

The principal explanation for drought is the lack of rain. If the usually falling rain fails for a couple of months, then water shortage occurs. Wells get dry, and people and other living beings begin travelling in search of water from one location to another. Though the leading cause of drought is lack of rainfall, other factors also contribute to such a situation.

Trees are the principal source of rainfall. When we cut the trees to build houses, we kill vegetation and greenery and eliminate the Earth’s primary source of rain. The rivers, lakes, and ponds are the natural ways water is collected on Earth. Activities such as excessive irrigation and improper water use for agricultural purposes remove the surface water from these natural reservoirs and create a drought condition.

India is a land that is dependent on monsoon rainfall for water adequacy. Consequently, insufficient rain in most parts of the world is considered the primary cause of the drought. High sea temperatures have resulted in the El Nino impact that has further influenced the monsoon season’s onset. Together with unsuitable agricultural practices and increased pollution levels, all these factors have contributed to a decline in monsoon rainfall that has led to a drought.

Consequences of Drought

Biodiversity disruption and depletion occur during a drought when many species die from lack of water and food. Drought severely affects the health of both animals and plants. Drought effects cause dehydration and malnutrition, which weaken humans and plants alike. Extreme malnutrition of humans and animals leads to their death.

The economic losses suffered during drought are also significant. Drought causes plants to die and deteriorate, reducing economic, agricultural production. Food production costs will increase, and water economic activities such as tourism and energy production will be reduced. India’s agriculture sector is the most vulnerable to climate conditions. Much of India’s agriculture relies on both rainfall and groundwater.

“Drought” like situation has tremendously affected India’s farming sector and animal husbandry. The scorching sun sucks the groundwater and becomes fatal to the cattle. Continuous drought can cause the soil to lose its humidity and fertility. There is no rain in many areas, so we can see that the lands would have cracks on them. After several years of rain, some areas recover their fertile soil, but some entirely lose their ability to produce crops.

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Essay on Drought

List of essays on drought, essay on drought – short essay for kids and children (essay 1 – 100 words), essay on drought – 10 lines on drought written in english (essay 2 – 250 words), essay on drought – causes, effects and measures (essay 3 – 350 words), essay on drought (essay 4 – 400 words), essay on drought – in india (essay 5 – 500 words), essay on drought – for school students (class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 standard) (essay 6 – 600 words), essay on drought – for college and university students (essay 7 – 750 words), essay on drought – long essay on drought (essay 8 – 1000 words).

Drought is a disaster which affects many regions of India every year. A natural disaster which leads to a shortage of water for drinking, agriculture and other practices is called a drought. However, we are yet to come up with some concrete measure in order to avoid this adverse situation through which the people have to go through each year.

Audience: The below given essays are exclusively written for school students (Class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Standard) and college students.

Drought is a severe condition in which some regions face a heavy shortage of water. There are some countries which are nowadays struggling with an insufficient amount of water. This situation occurs due to factors like climate change, deforestation or global warming.

In some areas, starvation as a result of drought, leads to the death of several people. Drought also affect the production of crops, causes forest fires and leads to insufficient electricity production.

It is important to adopt some solutions to tackle this issue. We can use methods like rainwater harvesting, seawater desalination or grow more plants and trees. The whole world is familiar with the misuse of water resources which needs to be overcome in order to prevent droughts.

The prolonged absence of rain or the lack of natural sources of water can bring about a drought. This natural phenomenon has been occurring all through the history of mankind and it has shaped many civilizations in the past. Droughts are something that people fear and it is also something that can be brought about by our actions towards our surrounding. One is compelled by practical reason to consider what actions can bring about potentially cataclysmic events like droughts and since I am still a student there is a lot I can do, further on as I go through life, to contribute to reasonable water usage.

The earth has its own principle of functioning and it changes our surrounding often and without warning, that’s why droughts sometimes happen even though we do nothing, in particular, to make them come about. When such events occur, people use different techniques to find alternative sources of water. The best we can do in such situations is to find tools that we can use to help us predict what the movement of water will be, or how much rain will fall.

On the other hand, we tend to misuse our natural resources and to drain them. That is why the recent decades have seen many rivers dry out due to our extensive agricultural needs. The lack of water brought about droughts in many regions that were previously famed for their natural wealth. Thankfully, people are becoming aware of how they are behaving and through this awareness, we are developing new methods for water use and distribution, it is up to us to implement those changes and make fear of the great drought a thing of the past.

“Drought” which results from the shortage of water due to lack of rainfall. The situation is challenging and can prove to be catastrophic for those living in the drought-affected areas.

Causes of Drought:

The Marathwada region of Maharashtra suffers from “drought” condition every year. There are various factors responsible for causing a “drought” like situation.

Some of these are discussed below:

1. Deforestation:

The main cause of “drought” is deforestation, which leads to a shortage of rainfall. Trees and shrubs hold the ground water, prevent it from evaporation and attracts rainfall. Deforestation is carried out to clear the land for farming, industrialization and urbanization. The soil in these areas loses its capacity to hold water, which also leads to “drought” condition. The devastating flood in the beautiful state of Kerala has become one of the biggest catastrophe in recent times.

2. Diminishing Water Bodies:

The usage of water bodies like rivers and lakes is done on a huge scale. During scorching summers these rivers and lakes are dried which result in dreadful “droughts”. Due to extreme climatic condition and various human activities, the water in these water bodies dries down which leads to “drought”. Wells are also a main sources of water in various regions in the country. Villages and towns in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat are facing life threatening situation where water in the wells has dried up. People in these villages stand in long queues to purchase water for drinking and daily needs.

Effects of Drought:

The farming sector in India is the most vulnerable to the climatic condition. Most of the agriculture in India is dependent on rainfall and ground water. “Drought” like situation has tremendously affected the farming sector and animal husbandry in India. The scorching sun sucks the ground water and becomes fatal to the cattle.

Measures to Prevent Drought:

Droughts can be prevented by –

i. Planting more trees.

ii. Implementing water conservation techniques.

iii. Reducing wastage of water and water pollution.

Conclusion:

Although initiatives like the “Paani Foundation” are being taken to mitigate “drought” condition in India but not much is done till date. As a responsible citizen we must contribute to the efforts taken to combat “drought” condition so that our future generations will not face such crisis.

The problem of drought is very severe and there are plenty of different provinces in India which are being largely impacted. It is really important for people at large to understand that the time calls for taking some strict measures at the earliest.

We have exploited mother earth in a ruthless manner and owing to the anthropogenic exploitation; the natural balance of the ecosystem has been disturbed. This in turn has led to plenty of troubles which include drought.

Drought – Getting Familiar:

Drought mainly refers to the condition wherein the area receives almost negligible to nil rainfall making it a dry period. This can be really deadly for the farmers as most of the harvest won’t ripen and it has several adverse consequences. Granted there are artificial methods of irrigation and the option of water supply but not all farmers have access to these facilities. This infers that drought ends up wrecking havoc on their finances and the families of the farmers sometimes even end up committing suicide or dying because of starvation.

Remedial Measures:

This brings us to the question as to what can be done to remedy the situation of drought. The answerer lies in helping the environment. The environment has the power to heal itself, but we need to be supportive in our approach. It is extremely important to understand the grave concerns and the bleak future that awaits us.

Drought isn’t the only calamity which we are facing. The increased frequency of earthquakes, flash floods, depleting ice cover, striking change in climates are all symbolic of the piteous condition of our environment. Until and unless, we manage to educate the masses and enlighten them about the need to have a green cover and preserve the environment, the frequency of drought and other calamities will continue to be on the rise. More and more measures need to be taken and the ruthless exploitation of the environment needs to stop right away.

We know that it is easier said than done but the change needs to start from somewhere. You should make it a point to understand the possible areas wherein you can bring a change. Try by curtailing the cutting down of trees even if it is for development purpose. Use measures to combat pollution and stop the use of non bio-degradable products. It is the collective efforts which will end up making a huge difference.

Drought is a natural calamity which is an impending sign of the dark future which this planet might be enveloped in if we do not take the right action now!

What is a drought? As per the given definitions, it is a natural disaster resulting in scarcity of water for drinking, agriculture and industrial purposes. But, given the current scenario, is it actually a natural disaster. This may not be completely true as human activities over a period of time have resulted in altering of nature’s natural phenomenon and today we see droughts occurring at places which were once abundant with water resources. Hence there is a strong need to understand the causes of drought and what can be done to prevent or minimize it.

Drought Prone Regions in India:

Some states of India have been declared as drought-prone due to the frequent occurrence of drought year after year in these states. These states are Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka. Apart from these many regions, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and parts of other states are also affected by drought every year.

India is a land which is dependent on monsoon rainfall for adequacy of water. Hence inadequate rainfall is considered as the major reason for drought in most parts of the country. However, this is again a subject of debate as to why there has been insufficient rainfall for quite some years now. Another reason is the drip in the water table and consequently less water vapour in the atmosphere which is responsible for the formation of clouds.

Again global warming has led to changes in the normal climatic conditions and with the increase in temperatures; there has been a significant effect on the monsoon season in India as well. Moreover, high sea temperatures have led to the El Nino effect taking place which has further affected the onset of monsoon season. All these factors combined with improper agricultural practices and increase in pollution levels have contributed to the reduction in the monsoon rainfall which has led to drought each year in many areas in India.

What should be done?

There is an urgent need to have measures in place in order to save the regions of India from drought. One of the major plans of the Government in this regard is the linking of rivers. If we are able to link the rivers we can divert excess rivers from region to the drought-affected areas and save them from this disaster. Another important measure is to have proper irrigation methods in place so as to utilize water only as much as it is required. Moreover, extracting of water through tube wells and other sources should be checked into as this leads to drip in the water table which triggers the onset of drought.

Last, but not least, it is not the responsibility of the government alone to have measures in place to prevent regions from being affected by drought, we all should ensure that we save water to the maximum and follow the rules as laid down by the Government. We should do rainwater harvesting as well so that we store the water provided to us by nature which shall be helpful in difficult times. A collective effort by all can surely be helpful in minimizing if not preventing the situation as adverse as drought.

Introduction:

Drought is a miserable condition caused due to lack of water in a particular region or country or territory for a long period of time. Drought is a natural calamity in which there is scarcity of water everywhere even for the basic needs. People in many countries suffer due to drought and many lose their lives since lack of water leads to lack of food. The impact of drought is very horrible and sometimes it becomes difficult for the affected country to recover to a normal state.

The main reason for drought to occur is the absence of rain. When the normally falling rain fails for a few months then there arises water scarcity. Wells become dry and people and other living beings start to move from one place to another in search of water.

Although lack of rainfall is the main cause for drought , there are also other causes that lead to such a condition.

The various causes of drought are:

Now-a-days people are mis-treating the environment. Why there is no rain? What causes rain? Everyone should ask these questions to themselves to know the real cause of drought. Trees are the main source of rainfall. When we cut trees for constructing buildings, we are not only removing the vegetation and greenery but also removing the main source of rainfall from the Earth.

2. Draining of Surface Water:

Rivers, lakes, ponds are the natural ways by which water is stored in the Earth. Activities like excessive irrigation, excessive use of water for industrial purposes drains the surface water from these natural reservoirs and cause a condition known as drought. Rise in temperature due to global warming is also a cause for draining of water.

Impacts of Drought:

The impact caused by drought is so huge that many countries that faces drought year on year still remains as under-developed countries. The day-to-day activities of the people get stopped. The severity of drought can even take many lives. Let us look into some of the major impacts:

1. Heavy Loss to Farmers:

Agriculture is the source of living for the farmers. Periodic rainfall and the availability of ground water is very much important for agriculture. Drought impacts farmers the most because if there is no rainfall, agriculture fails. There is no yield, plants die, livestock suffers and farmers end up with no income. They get debts to try other ways and make their living but when everything goes out of control, they have no other way than to end their lives. Severe droughts lead to increase in the number of farmer suicides.

2. Loss of Wildlife:

It is during the time of drought, forest fires start occurring. Since everything is dry, fire catches up very easily. The life of wild animals is at huge risk; some get burnt in the forest fires and some lose their habitat and have to move to some other place.

3. Soil Degradation:

Continuous drought will make the soil lose its moisture and fertility. We can see at many places where there are no rains, the lands will have cracks on them. Some areas regain their fertile soil after many years of rain but some totally lose their nature to yield crops.

4. Safety is at Risk:

The scarcity of food leads to increase in prices of commodities. As the droughts might have taken the employment of some, no income would push people to commit crimes such as theft.

There are some ways that people can try to manage drought. Few important ones are listed below: –

People can use rain water harvesting method to save and store rain water and use it at emergency times like drought.

Waste water must be collected, purified and re-used. The water thus stored can be used for watering plants and can be used for irrigation also.

Afforestation techniques can be adopted.

Drought has huge consequences but it is not the end. If everyone of us contribute their share in preserving the environment, then many hazards like drought can be managed very easily.

Drought is a natural disaster that occurs in some regions of the globe. Some regions are more prone to drought while other regions are not. In India, drought has been experienced and a lot of people have died. Drought causes death of humans, animals and plants due to the adverse conditions that are harsh to the ecosystem and limits survival. In disaster management, drought is considered among the threats to human and animal life. Drought is defined as a prolonged period of inadequate water and food. The periods of drought vary but lack of water for over two weeks is considered drought.

During drought, the ecosystem is negatively affected that is why agriculture is compromised and it results in lack of food. The effects of drought are both to the animate and inanimate objects in the environment. Drought is handled by disaster management teams by provision of water and food to the affected people and prevention of further effects like fires on dry vegetation. Drought can occur naturally due to dry seasons or can result from human activities that causes a change in climate.

Lack of rainfall for long periods of time results in drought. Rain formation or precipitation processes require moisture accumulation in the atmosphere or on the ground as ice. Sunshine and winds can affect the precipitation processes as it affects the formation of water.

Another cue of drought is the natural dry seasons whereby low humidity is experienced. During the dry season, water sources dry up due to high temperatures that increase vaporization. In the high demand for vapor, extreme measures like drawing water from plants is reached which results in death of those plants.

Human activities could also result in drought. Agriculture and human settlements result in deforestation. Deforestations predispose the environment to erosion of soil and vegetation destruction. The lack of vegetation and forests causes decreased rainfall in the region and could cause drought occurrence.

Climatic changes also result in drought. Human activities like emission of greenhouse gases to the environment has caused global warming. In global warming, climate change is experienced such that the temperatures on the surface of the earth are raised. Raised temperatures result in increased vaporization and depletion of water from rivers, boreholes. Effects of global warming have been determined to be either extremes of rainfall or drought.

Consequences of Drought:

Drought causes adverse effect on the ecosystem. Interruption and loss of biodiversity is experienced during drought because animals of several species die due to lack of water and food. Also, the living things like trees and vegetation die. Diseases also arise during seasons of drought that affect living things and cause death. Extinction of rare species is common during seasons of drought.

The losses experienced in the economy during drought are substantial. Drought causes death and deterioration of plants thus decreasing the agricultural economical activities. There will be inflation of food production costs and diminished water economic activities like tourism and energy production.

Health of both animals and plants is greatly affected by drought. Drought effects cause diseases like dehydration and malnutrition that are debilitating to both humans and plants. Extreme hunger for humans and animals cause death.

Drought Management:

Once drought has occurred, the protection of people and animals should be done. In disaster management, the focus is on mitigating the consequences and providing life sustenance to those affected by the disaster. In agriculture, methods of irrigation and crop rotation have been implemented in arid areas so as to mitigate the consequences of drought. Water harvesting is also essential in preparation for drought. In water harvesting, construction of dams and boreholes in arid areas has been helpful during seasons of drought.

Erosion is minimized through crop rotation. Water conservation methods like recycling and outdoor use restrictions have been employed in arid areas.

In conclusion, drought is a natural disaster whose effects are adverse and cause loss of life. The management of drought generally involves the water conservation, storage and expansion of sources of water. The consequences of drought are deleterious and destruct the ecosystem and loss of biodiversity.

In order to reduce the consequences of drought, several measures have been put in place. Disaster management teams have conducted projects for water conservation for use during drought like by constructing dams. Mitigating the consequences of drought also involved the inhibition of causes of drought. Mitigation of erosion through planting enough vegetation to prevent erosion goes a long way in preventing drought. Human activities should also be controlled.

Drought can simply be defined as a form of natural disaster that is a result of the precipitation in a particular region below average which results in prolonged periods of water supply shortage, be it ground water, surface water or rainfall water. Droughts can go on for a lot of months or even years; it is most times declared and claimed after about just 15 days.

The agriculture and ecosystem of a particular region can be substantially impacted by drought and this can lead to a great deal of harm on the economy of the region. It has been discovered that the probability of a drought taking place and bush fires occurring is increased significantly by the dry seasons annually. Drought conditions are significantly worsened by long heat periods and this is as a result of the hastened evaporation of vapours of water.

There are a lot of species of plants like the Cactaceae family that have adaptations for the tolerance of drought (like a reduce area of leaf and cuticles that are waxy to help improve their drought tolerance ability). There are other species of plants that survive periods of droughts as seeds that are buried.

Grasslands and Deserts are examples of arid biomes that are produced by droughts that are semi-permanent. Humanitarian crisis and mass migrations are caused by prolonged droughts. Majority of ecosystems that are arid have very low productivity. The world experienced its longest period of drought in Atacama Desert of Chile and the drought lasted for about 400 years.

There are a lot of causes of drought.

A few out of the many causes will be discussed below:

1. Climate Changes:

Droughts are triggered by all the various activities that result in climate change globally and this can have a very strong effect on agriculture all over the world most especially in countries that are developing. Global warming and climate change will bring about an imbalance in the ecosystem.

There is going to be erosion and flooding in some regions and drought in other regions. Therefore, it is quite obvious that climate change and global are one of the leading causes of drought in the world today.

2. Deficiency in Precipitation:

Precipitation is produced through mechanisms including orographic rainfall, strati-form rainfall and convective rainfall. The processes of convective rainfall involve vertical motions that are strong and can lead to the atmosphere overturning in that particular location in about an hour, causing heavy precipitation. The processes of stratiform precipitation involve upward motions that are weaker, a little bit less intense and can last a duration that is longer.

We can divide precipitation into about three categories; this is based on if it falls in form of liquid water, water in liquid form that freezes when it comes in contact with a surface and ice. Droughts mainly occur in areas that the normal rainfall levels are quite low. If the factors in the region do not help the volume of precipitation in a way that they can get to the surface in time, drought occurs. Drought can also be triggered through a very high reflected sunlight level.

3. Dry Season:

In the tropic regions, we have distinct dry and wet seasons and this is as a result of the Monsoon trough. The occurrence of drought is greatly increased during dry seasons, this season is known by the very low humidity and rivers and watering holes drying up. As a result of the inadequacy of watering holes and rivers, a lot of animals that graze migrate because of the absence of water and move to areas that are more fertile. Some of the animals that do this include wildebeest, elephants, zebra and cattle.

As a result of the absence of water, bushfires are very common during this season. Because of the increased temperature, the water vapour tend to become more energetic, to increase the relative humidity to 100%, required water vapour is more. When it is warm, the rate of vegetable and fruit production is increased and this causes an increase in transpiration and evaporation from plants leading to drought conditions that are worse.

Types of Drought :

With the persistence of drought, all of the various conditions that surround it worsen gradually and the effect on the region increases gradually.

There are three major types of droughts:

i. Meteorological drought is a type of drought that occurs anytime we have a prolonged period of below average rainfall or precipitation. It is common for meteorological drought to precede other types of drought.

ii. Agricultural drought is a type of drought that affects the ecology and production of crops in a particular region. Agricultural drought can also happen independently as a result of a change in the levels of precipitation when erosion and soil conditions that are triggered by agricultural endeavours that are poorly planned lead to a drop in the amount of water that is available for crop use. However, traditional droughts are caused by a period of precipitation that is below average.

iii. Hydrological drought is a type of drought that occurs when the available water reserves in sources like reservoirs, lakes and aquifers drop below average. Hydrological drought takes a lot of time to manifest since it deals with water that has been stored and is used and not replenished.

The effects of water shortages can be grouped into three namely:

i. Social effects

ii. Economic effects

iii. Environmental effects

Droughts can also cause wars, wildfires, social unrest, and drop in electricity production, mass migration, hunger, famine and so many more.

Prevention Measures:

Prevention measures include:

i. Building of Dams

ii. Cloud seeding

iii. Desalination

iv. Proper Drought monitoring

v. Proper Land use

vi. Rainwater harvesting

vii. Restriction of water use outdoors

viii. Use of Recycled water

Drought can be very detrimental to the ecosystem and can also have a lot of effects. It is therefore extremely necessary that we do our possible best to battle drought and try to employ methods of drought relief, mitigation methods to prevent drought.

Disaster , Drought , Natural Disasters

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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Deforestation — Drought: Types, Impacts and Preventive Measures

Drought: Types, Impacts and Preventive Measures

Categories: Deforestation

About this sample

Words: 1319 |

Published: Oct 22, 2018

Words: 1319 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Meteorological drought: it simply implies rainfall deficiency where the precipitation is reduced by more than 25%from normals in any given area. These are region specific since deficiency of precipitation is highly variable from region to region.
Hydrological drought: these are associated with the deficiency of water on surface or subsurface due to a shortfall in precipitation. Although all droughts have their origination from a deficiency in precipitation, hydrological drought is mainly concerned about how this deficiency affects components of the hydrological system such as soil moisture, stream flow, groundwater and reservoir levels etc.
Agricultural drought: this links various characteristics of meteorological or hydrological drought to agricultural impacts, focusing on precipitation shortages, differences between actual potential evapotranspiration, soil, soil water deficits, and reduced groundwater or reservoir levels. Plant water demand depends on prevailing weather conditions, biological characteristics of the specific plant, and its stage of growth and the physical and biological properties of the soil.
Socio-economic drought: it is associated with the demand and supply aspect of economic goods together with elements of meteorological, hydrological and agricultural drought. This type of drought mainly occurs when there the demand for an economic good exceeds its supply due to a weather-related shortfall in water supply
Dams/reservoirs and wetlands to store water;
Improvement in agriculture through modifying cropping patterns ;
Watershed management and introducing drought-resistant varieties of crops ;
Water rationing ;
Management of rangeland with the improvement of grazing patterns;
Cattle management introduction of feed and protection of shrubs and trees.
Proper selection of crop for drought-affected areas ;
Development of water resource system with improved irrigation;
Leveling, soil-conservation techniques development of improved storage facilities;
Reducing deforestation and fire-wood cutting in the affected areas protection of surface water from evaporation and introduction;
Alternative land-use models for water sustainability of drip irrigation system;
Checking of migration and providing alternate employment;
Animal husbandry activities can help in mitigation with use of improved;
Education and training to the people and scientific methods;
Participatory community programmes.

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A natural disaster is a major adverse event. Disaster results from natural processes of the Earth. Droughts are one of them. Drought is basically the unusual dryness of the soil.

Droughts

Introduction to Droughts

Drought is shortly the unusual dryness of soil due to the levels of rainfall. Drought occurs when rainfall is significantly below average over a prolonged period. It is an event of shortages in the water supply, surface water, or groundwater. A drought can last for years, months or days.

Shortage of water, Dry and hot winds, rise in temperature, and consequent evaporation of moisture from the ground contribute to conditions of drought. Droughts also result in crop failure too. Droughts have a major impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected regions. Also, droughts harm the local economy of the region. Droughts are considered a natural disaster as it disturbs our whole ecosystem.

Drought is considered as the recurring feature of the climate in most parts of the world. These days regular droughts have become more extreme and more unpredictable because of climatic changes. Also, studies based on dendrochronology, confirm that the drought-affected by global warming goes back to 1900.

Millennium Drought in Australia (1997–2009) is a well-known historical drought. The drought led to a water supply crisis across the country. As a result of it, many desalination plants were built for the first time. These plants are meant for the process of removing salt from seawater. The State of Texas in 2011, lived under a drought emergency declaration for the whole year. The state suffered severe economic losses. If ant time drought persists, the conditions surrounding the region gradually worsen and its impact on the local population gradually increases day by day.

Types of Droughts

Meteorological drought.

This type of drought occurs when there is a prolonged time with less than average rainfall. Meteorological drought usually paves the way for other kinds of drought.

Agricultural Drough t

This type of drought affects crop production or the ecology of the range. The conditions of drought can arise independently due to any change in precipitation levels, irrigation, or soil conditions. Erosion occurs because of poorly planned agricultural attempts. This causes a shortfall in water available to the crops causes drought. However, the traditional drought occurs due to an extended period of below-average rainfall.

Hydrological Drought

This type of drought occurs when the water reserves available to us fall below a significant threshold. These sources are that are aquifers, lakes and reservoirs fall. Hydrological drought tends to show up more slowly.

This slow pace of drought is because it involves stored water that is used but not replenished from sources. Like an agricultural drought, this can be triggered by more than just a loss of rainfall. For example, around 2007 Kazakhstan was given a large amount of money by the World Bank to restore water that had been diverted to other nations from the Aral Sea under Soviet rule.

Causes of Drought

A drought is mainly the cause of drier conditions. It is comparable to normal conditions that eventually lead to water supply problems. Really hot temperatures which eventually cause the moisture to evaporate from the soil can make drought worse. If any region is hot and dry, it doesn’t always mean that it is going through a drought. The dry season greatly increases drought occurrence. It is characterized by its low humidity, with watering holes and cracks, and rivers drying up. Due to the lack of these watering holes, many animals unwillingly migrate. This migration is due to the lack of water in search of more fertile lands.

Land and water temperatures cause droughts. As the temperature increases, more water evaporates and severe weather conditions also increase. Landscapes and crops need more water for their survival and growth and thus the overall demand for water increases gradually. Drought also occurs by air circulation and weather patterns. The water we have today is all the water we ever have now. Water available is moved by the weather patterns in the air all around. This is changing constantly.

Soil moisture levels also lead to drought. There is the evaporation of water for the creation of clouds when the soil moisture depletes. Demand, need, and supply of water issues are also a cause of droughts. The demand for water by people can worsen the situation depending on how the region reacts. Especially when the weather conditions, temperatures, or air patterns push a region toward a drought. Excessive irrigation is excellent for papa contributing to drought.

FAQs on Droughts

Question 1: What are the consequences of drought?

Answer: Some common consequences of drought are:

Diminished crop growth or yield productions.
Dust bowls and Dust storms, when drought hits an area suffering from desertification and erosion.
Habitat damage – affecting terrestrial and aquatic wildlife.
Hunger– drought provides too little water for food crops and human beings.
Malnutrition, dehydration and related diseases is a major consequence.
Mass migration of people in search of food and water is very common.
Shortages of water for industrial and domestic purposes.
Fight over natural resources, including water and food.

Question 2: Is drought a natural disaster or a man-made disaster?

Answer: A natural hazard is a threat of a naturally occurring event that has a negative impact on the environment, humans, and their survival. This negative effect is a natural disaster. In simple words when the hazardous threat eventually happens and harms human life, we call the event a natural disaster.

Drought is a natural disaster. Lack of precipitation for a protracted period of time causes drought. This results in a water shortage which affects the ecosystem. While droughts occur naturally, human activity, such as water use and water management, can exacerbate the dry conditions of the region.

Question 3: How to prevent droughts.

Answer: To deal effectively with the drought, here are some measures:

Interlinking of national water resources (rivers).
Agriculture and irrigation patterns need change.
Water transportation channels need to be maintained properly. Leakages are bad.
Water-intensive industries should be away from water deficit regions.
Accumulating as much as rainwater we could. Improving rain harvesting infrastructure. Building more check dams, a small run of the river projects, more farm-lakes, improving water table, using mulching techniques in farms.
Water meters need to be in a place like electricity meters. Asking someone not to consume excess water unnecessarily has not given good results so far. Nobody can count water a water meter will do that.
Have water trains on standby. Attach them to the units of disaster management teams. As soon as a possibility of drought arises in a region, the water train can reach there.
We need to prevent deforestation and thus we require afforestation.
Judicious use of water. Awareness that wasted water won’t come back easily.

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Essay on Drought for Children and Students

Table of Contents

Drought is a condition when there are no rains for a long period of time. The occurrence of drought is a common sight in many parts of the country. The consequences of this condition are drastic and many times irreversible. Drought is the condition when certain parts of the world are deprived of rain for months or at times the entire season. There are several reasons that cause drought-like situations in different parts and prove to be fatal.

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Long and Short Essay on Drought in English

Here are some short and long essays on Drought of varying lengths to help you with the topic. You can choose any drought essay given below:

Drought Essay – 1 (200 words)

Drought which is marked by the absence of or low rain in a particular region for a long period of time occurs because of various reasons including global warming, deforestation and many other human activities. This climatic condition can cause disastrous impact on the environment as well as the living beings. Some of the effects of drought include failure of crops, financial loss, price rise and soil degradation.

Several Indian states have been hit by drought leading to mass destruction of crops and disruption of the normal functioning of the society. Many parts have even witnessed famine leading to the death of several people due to starvation. Looking at the adversities faced by people in such areas, the government of India has come up with various drought relief plans however a lot more needs to be done to control this problem and deal with its after effects.

Some of the solutions suggested in this direction are rainwater harvesting, recycling and reuse of water, controlling deforestation, sea water desalination, cloud seeding, growing more plants and trees, stopping overall waste of water. However, most of these cannot be achieved if the general public does not support the cause. Each one should thus take it as a responsibility to contribute his/ her bit to curb the problem.

Drought Essay – 2 (300 words)

Drought, which results in the shortage of water, is mainly caused due to lack of rainfall. The situation is problematic and can prove to be fatal for those living in the drought-affected areas. It is particularly a curse for the farmers as it destroys their crops. Continuous drought-like situation also leads to the soil becoming less fertile.

Causes of Drought

There are various factors that lead to drought. Here is a look at these causes in detail:

Deforestation

Deforestation is said to be one of the main causes of shortage of rainfall that leads to drought. Adequate amount of trees and vegetation is required on land to limit evaporation of water, store enough water on land and attract rainfall. Deforestation and construction of concrete buildings in their place has caused a major misbalance in the environment. It lowers the capacity of the soil to hold water and increases evaporation. Both these are a cause of low rainfall.

Low Surface Water Flow

Rivers and lakes are the main sources of surface water in various regions around the world. In extreme summers or because of usage of surface water for various human activities, the water in these sources dries down leading to drought.

Global Warming

The negative impact of global warming on the environment is known to all. Among other issues, the emission of greenhouse gases that results in the rise in earth’s temperature has resulted in the rise in evaporation. High temperature is also a cause of wildfires that worsens the drought-condition.

Apart from these, excessive irrigation is also one of the causes of drought as it drains the surface water.

Though the causes of drought are largely known and are mostly the result of misuse of water resources and other non-environmental friendly human activities, nothing much is being done to curb this problem. It is time the governments of various countries should join hands to overcome this global issue.

Drought Essay – 3 (400 words)

Drought occurs when a region receives no or less than the average amount of rainfall leading to water shortage, failure of crops and disruption of normal activities. Various factors such as global warming, deforestation and construction of buildings have given rise to drought.

Types of Droughts

While some areas are marked by complete absence of rain for a long period of time, others receive less than the average amount of precipitation, yet others might face drought for some part of the year – So the severity and type of drought varies from place to place and from time to time. Here is a look at the different types of droughts:

Meteorological Drought

When there is a reduction in rainfall in a region for a particular period – it can be for few days, months, seasons or year – it is said to be hit by meteorological drought. In India an area is said to be hit by meteorological drought when the annual rainfall is 75% less than the average rainfall.

Hydrological Drought

This is basically associated with the reduction in water. Hydrological droughts are often a result of two successive meteorological droughts. These are divided into two categories:

Surface Water Drought
Ground Water Drought
Soil Moisture Drought

As the name suggests, this situation involves inadequate soil moisture that hinders crop growth. This is an outcome of meteorological drought as it leads to lower water supply to soil and greater water loss due to evaporation.

Agricultural Drought

When the meteorological or hydrological droughts lead to negative impacts on the crop yield in a region, it is said to be hit by agricultural drought.

This is said to be the most severe drought situation. People in such regions do not get any access to food and there is mass starvation and devastation. The government needs to intervene in such a situation and food is supplied to these places from other places.

Socio-Economic Drought

This situation occurs when there is a decrease in the availability of food and loss of income due to the failure of crop and the social security and access to food for the people in such areas is at risk.

Drought is a difficult situation to deal with especially if the severity is high. Several people are affected due to drought each year. While the occurrence of drought is a natural phenomenon, we can certainly reduce the human activities that lead to such a situation. Government must also come up with effective measures to deal with its after effects.

Drought Essay – 4 (500 words)

Drought, a condition that occurs due to no or very low rainfall, has been classified into different categories including meteorological drought, famine, socio-economic drought, hydrological drought and agricultural drought. Whatever be the type of drought, it disturbs the normal functioning of the regions affected.

Impacts of Drought

The regions hit by drought take a good amount of time to recover from the disaster caused, particularly if the severity of the drought is high. Drought disrupts the day-to-day lives of the people and has a widespread impact on various sectors. Here is how this natural disaster impacts the lives of the people living in the affected region:

Agricultural Loss

A major impact occurs on the agriculture and other related sectors as these are directly dependent on the ground and surface water. Loss of crop yields, low rate of livestock production, rise in plant disease and wind erosion are some of the major impacts of drought.

Financial Loss for Farmers

Farmers are worst effected by drought. The crops in the drought hit areas do not yield and the farmers whose sole income is generated through farming are worst affected by this situation. In an attempt to make their ends meet, many farmers end up in debt. The cases of farmer suicides due to such situation are also common.

Wildlife at Risk

The cases of forest fires increase during droughts and this puts the wildlife population at high risk. Forests get burnt down and many wild animals end up losing life while others lose their shelter.

The prices of various cereals, fruits, vegetables rise because of low supply and high demand. The prices of food items such as jams, sauces and drinks that are produced from those particular fruits and vegetables also increase. In certain cases, goods are imported from other places to meet the demands of the people and hence the prices levied on the same are high. The retailers who offer goods and services to the farmers also face financial loss due to reduced business.

Degradation of Soil

The soil loses moisture due to continuous drought and its quality degrades. It takes a lot of time for some areas to regain the ability to yield crops.

Overall Impact on Environment

Damage is caused to various species of plants and animals, there is degradation of landscape quality and biodiversity is impacted. The quality of air and water is also affected due to drought. While some of these conditions are temporary others may last long and might even turn permanent.

Public Safety at Stake

Lack of food and increased prices of different commodities may give rise to crimes such as theft and this can put public safety at stake. Conflict may also occur between water users thereby causing tension among general public.

Drought Prone Countries

Some of the countries that are more prone to drought include Albania, Afghanistan, Armenia, Bahrain, Northeast parts of Brazil, Burma, Cuba, Morocco, Iran, China, Bangladesh, Botswana, Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Drought is one of the most disastrous natural calamities. Famine, that is the most severe forms of drought, ends in major socio, economic and environmental loss for the regions affected.

Drought Essay – 5 (600 words)

Drought, a condition when certain regions are faced with scarcity of water due to low or no rainfall, has been the cause of several problems in India. There are many areas in the country that are hit by drought each year while others are faced with this condition occasionally. Drought is caused due to various factors such as deforestation, global warming and inadequate surface water and has severe impact on the lives of the people living in the affected areas as well as the general health of the environment.

Drought Prone Areas in India

Many regions in the country are hit by drought each year. Statistics reveal that approximately one-sixth of the total geographical area of the country that inhabits around 12% of the population is drought prone.

One of the most drought prone states in the country is Rajasthan. As many as eleven districts in this state are hit by drought. These regions receive scanty or no rainfall and have low level of ground water. Drought is also a common phenomenon in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Almost every district here is hit by drought each year.

Here is a look at some of the other regions in the country that face frequent drought:

Saurashtra and Kutch, Gujarat
Coimbatore in Kerala
Mirzapur Plateau and Palamu, Uttar Pradesh
Kalahandi, Orissa
Purulia, West Bengal
Tirunelveli District, South of Vaigai River, Tamil Nadu

Possible Solutions for Drought

Rain Water Harvesting

This is the technique of collecting and storing rainwater in tanks and natural reservoirs to use it later. Rain water harvesting must be made mandatory for all. The idea behind this is to put the available water to use.

Sea Water Desalination

Sea water desalination must be done so that the vast amount of water stored in the sea can be used for the purpose of irrigation and other agricultural activities. The government must make major investment in this direction.

Recycle Water

Waste water must be purified and recycled for reuse. This can be done in many ways. Small steps such as installing rain barrel, collecting the waste water from RO systems, usage of shower buckets, saving water from washing veggies and creating rain garden can help in this direction. The water collected by these means can be used to water the plants.

Cloud Seeding

Cloud seeding is done to modify weather. It is a way to increase the amount of precipitation. Potassium iodide, silver iodide and dry ice are some of the chemicals used for the purpose of cloud seeding. The government should invest in cloud seeding to avoid drought in the areas prone to this condition.

Plant More Trees

Deforestation and the building of concrete structures is one of the causes of scanty rainfall. Efforts must be made to plant more trees. This simple step can change the climatic conditions and also bring about other positive changes in the environment.

Water Usage

Each one should take it as a responsibility to stop the wastage of water so that there is availability of enough water even when during times of low rainfall. Government must take steps to keep a check on the usage of water.

Campaigns must be Run

The government must run campaigns stating the benefits of rain water harvesting, planting more trees and other measures that the general public can take to fight drought. This is a good way to spread awareness and control the problem.

Though the government has put certain drought relief plans in place however these are not enough to overcome the drastic problem of drought. It is important to take strong steps to avoid this problem. Everyone should contribute their bit to control this problem.

Related Information:

Essay on Flood
Paragraph on Flood

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Drought's impact on the community, a journey to rufunsa to see the impact of the drought on the community.

After the President of the Republic of Zambia declared the drought as a national disaster, the United Nations promptly responded to assess the impact on the affected population's lives and provide relevant support to the government's response plan. In Rufunsa, one of the 84 districts affected by an unforgiving drought, the harsh realities of climate change have manifested themselves in the form of devastating crop failures. As this crisis engulfs the entire district, the relentless efforts to avert food insecurity have become an urgent priority.

Amidst these arduous circumstances, the youngest and most vulnerable members of the community, the children, bear the brunt of this unforgiving climate, making it crucial to examine and address their plight. Join us on a journey as we witness the impact of the drought on Mpanshya village and the unwavering determination of the United Nations to find sustainable solutions that ensure no one is left behind amidst the turmoil.

Local administration, government officials and United Nations representatives paying a courtesy visit to the District Commissioner at the council chambers in Rufunsa.

The first visit for UN principals, including the Assistant Secretary General for Climate and Crisis Coordinator, Reena Ghelani, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Etleva Kadilli, and Zambia Resident Coordinator, Beatrice Mutali, was a courtesy call on the District Commissioner. During the visit, the District Commissioner briefed them on the drought situation in Rufunsa and discussed the government's efforts to alleviate the impact on local communities.

Headwoman Regina Phiri of Mpanshya village stands amidst her withered maize field, highlighting the devastating outcome of a failed harvest.

Headwoman Regina Phiri states that following a thorough evaluation of Mpanshya village, it is disheartening to report that no community member will witness any yield from the 2023-2024 farming season. The maize and supplementary crops have unfortunately succumbed to the devastating effects of the prolonged drought scenario.

She also revealed that the extended drought has caused the underground water table to recede significantly, leading to prolonged pumping times. To ensure fair distribution, the community has implemented a water rationing system. Every household in her village is now requested to limit their water usage by pumping only once from the communal borehole.

Mpanshya village headwoman, Regina Phiri, engages warmly with UNICEF's Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Etleva Kadilli, during their visit to her maize field.

The visit to the farm fields in Mpanshya village of Rufunsa district proved to be an enlightening experience for UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Etleva Kadilli. Farmers from diverse backgrounds, including the esteemed village headwoman Regina Phiri, generously shared their personal stories and shed light on their strategies for coping with the challenges posed by the drought.

UN Principals, including the Honourable Minister for Lusaka province, engaging in a productive note-sharing session amidst their farm field visit.

Unified efforts in countering climate change and food insecurity: Reena Ghelani, UN Assistant Secretary General, Percy Suze, FAO Zambia Representative, Honorable Sheal Mulyata (MP), Minister for Lusaka province, Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, and Alex Chipo Mapushi, Lusaka province Deputy Permanent Secretary. Informed by Gabriel Pollen, Zambia’s National Coordinator for the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), they discuss the Government's proactive response to the climate crisis.

Mpanshya village community gathers to welcome UN and government representatives.

In order to gain deeper insights into the current situation, delegates from the United Nations and the local Government dedicated valuable time to actively engage with community members in Mpanshya village. This diverse group encompassed male and female farmers, participants from savings groups, expectant and nursing mothers, youths, and representatives from the community resource boards. Through this interactive meeting, a wealth of knowledge was shared, shedding light on the lessons learned from the prevailing climate crisis. Moreover, the gathering unveiled a range of strategies that the community, in collaboration with their leaders, are implementing to effectively mitigate the situation and safeguard their future agricultural yields from imminent losses.

Anna Mwemwetela, a ninth-grade student at Nkoloma Combined School in Rufunsa, eloquently emphasizes the profound impact of the drought on the school community.

During the visit, the visitors gained insights into the profound effects of the drought on education in Rufunsa. Representing the learners of Nkoloma Combined School, Anna Mwemwetela, a 9th-grade student, talked about the coping strategies employed by female learners in the face of this adversity. Due to the challenging circumstances caused by the drought, some young girls find themselves entering relationships with older men to secure financial support, as their parents struggle to provide food for their families. Consequently, these girls often face unintended pregnancies, leading to their premature departure from school.

She eloquently highlighted the dire consequences of limited water availability in schools, specifically emphasizing its detrimental impact on menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls. Consequently, such challenges lead to increased absenteeism, hindering their academic progress and overall well-being.

Even the babies were included in the community meeting.

UNICEF's Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Etleva Kadilli, highlighted the crucial significance of children's survival and wellbeing in the face of the climate crisis. Underlining the joint efforts of UNICEF and the UN system, she emphasized their partnership with the Government of the Republic of Zambia to mitigate the severe impact on children's lives. To achieve this, Kadilli urged the community to actively participate in innovative farming methods taught in the farmer field school. These methods include conservation farming, intercropping and the cultivation of supplementary crops, which play a vital role in ensuring children receive adequate nourishment to support their growth and development.

The UN principals concluded their meeting by expressing their gratitude to the community of Mpanshya village for their invaluable insights.

The day concluded with heartfelt gratitude from the visitors towards the community members of Mpanshya village, who generously offered their time and shared invaluable insights about the profound impact of the drought on their lives.

The United Nations in Zambia has put together a multi-hazard preparedness and response plan to support Government-led efforts and is calling upon international partners to join forces with the UN, to be able to provide emergency assistance and boost preventive measures and sustainable recovery.

Combating the Impact of Cholera and Drought on Children

Zambia Drought Response

Catherine's Journey: Empowering Communities Amidst Crisis

Zambia Cholera Response

Breaking Barriers and Transforming Lives

Zambia’s 1000 Days in SCT Gender and Nutrition Sensitive Pilot

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Published: 23 April 2024

Down-to-earth drought resistance

Nature Plants volume 10 , pages 525–526 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Plant breeding

Drought is a serious threat to global food security. In upstream research, crop drought-tolerant traits are often studied under extreme drought conditions, which can seem irrelevant in the eyes of breeders.

Although wildfire may have positive ecological function (as we discussed in our February editorial 1 ), drought — its related, but seemingly lesser, stressor — is harmful or even devastating, particularly to agricultural ecosystems. Drought develops gradually and its start or end can be difficult to identify, but its effects are often long-term and catastrophic. Climate change is predicted to lead to more frequent and severe droughts in many parts of the world. Last year was one of the hottest and driest in historical record, and people in the Horn of Africa suffered particularly badly 2 ; a record that is likely to be surpassed all too soon. Breeding drought-resilient crops is often proposed as a solution for mitigating the negative outcomes of drought and has become an important and urgent goal for global research communities. But this endeavour is impeded by the gap between basic research and breeding practice.

A Comment published in Nature 3 in September 2023 highlighted that many previous publications have oversold the effects of their reported genes in yield gain. Out of 1,671 reported yield-increasing genes, only one showed constant yield benefits in maize across years and locations in a large-scale field trial. Without close collaborations between molecular biologists (or geneticists) and breeders, unrealistic field trials have overestimated the agronomic effects of tested genes. The authors proposed five criteria for evaluating yield gain in field trials, including standardized definitions of yield, and multiple-location and multiyear experiments.

Drought resistance is also a complex trait that is defined differently under different scenarios, and is greatly affected by the environment. This complexity causes a similar disconnect between genetic studies and the breeding of drought resistance. Multiple breeding programmes have been undertaken worldwide by large research units such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in pursuit of drought-resistant crops. At the same time, molecular biologists and geneticists continue to report the cloning of genes with drought resistance or tolerance traits, but these genes are rarely beneficial to crop breeders. As drought resistance expert Lijun Luo said at a recent conference in Sanya last month, “out of the over 300 rice functional genes claimed to increase drought resistance, none of them has been successfully applied in breeding!”

The main problem, according to Luo, is that these molecular studies focus on ‘drought tolerance traits’ rather than ‘yield under drought’. There is a well-established trade-off between stress tolerance and the productivity of plants; many wild relatives of crops exhibit strong stress tolerance but poor yield potentials. Conversely, upland rice varieties, such as IRAT109, that display stable yield under drought tend to have very poor drought tolerance (according to Luo). Improving the drought tolerance of crops without considering yield in the field is shooting at the wrong target.

If IRAT109 is not drought tolerant, then the question arises of what guarantees its yield stability under drought. The answer is its elite drought avoidance. It has long been realized that drought resistance can be achieved by multiple traits that are broadly classifiable into three main types: drought escape (by short life duration), drought avoidance (by deeper root distribution) and drought tolerance 4 . Scientists who use model plants such as Arabidopsis and rice to study drought resistance mechanism often focus on drought tolerance traits — such as the ability of plants to survive drought when dehydration has already occurred in the plant tissues — using water deprivation or polyethylene glycol treatment to screen for resistance. The resultant phenotypes often bestow a higher survival rate of the plants under drought or a higher recovery rate during rehydration, but not necessarily a higher yield. Without deciding beforehand the specific drought-resistant trait that is needed to improve the productivity of the specific crops in the target environment, laboratory-based studies can become aimless and futile.

Knowledge about environments is also important. According to the levels of yield loss (from 85% to 40%) under drought, Kumar et al. classified drought stresses as very severe, severe, moderate and mild 5 . Henry and Torres in the IRRI tested the performance of several rice varieties and found that the varieties that are adapted to mild and moderate drought with stable yield are different from the varieties adapted to more severe drought stress 6 . As mild drought stress affects a large proportion of drought-prone rice-growing areas in the world, a laboratory experiment that applies severe stress treatment can hardly be expected to identify genes that are useful in most drought-affected areas. In addition, droughts can be of different durations (short or long), different frequencies (continuous, intermittent or once per season) or occur at different growth periods of the crop. Crops use different drought-resistant traits or mechanisms to adapt to these types of droughts. Purely laboratory-based research can oversimplify drought stress treatments and so fail to understand the severity or types of droughts that are agriculturally relevant 7 .

In a paper published in 2021, Xiong et al. 8 reported that climate change has increased the ranking changes of wheat varieties in breeding trials over the past four decades. In other words, the relative performance of crop varieties is becoming less easy for breeders to predict. However, breeding trials targeted to drought or heat stress environments have not been affected. Breeding trials would also benefit from precisely targeted agronomically relevant stress environments.

To better cope with future droughts, drought-related crop research needs precision. Molecular biologists must cooperate with — or at least consult — agronomists to better understand their needs. It is certainly informative to study a drought avoidance trait such root architectures or a drought tolerance trait such leaf rolling 9 , but it is also crucial to monitor yield under drought. Moreover, high-yielding and widely planted varieties make a more appropriate genetic background than poor-yielding model genotypes when testing for drought resistance in the real world.

The natural variations of crops held in their wild relatives or in adapted landraces (such as upland rice) provide a valuable genetic resource to help to balance yield and drought resistance. The increasing availability of their genomes provide opportunities for researchers to identify the genes or quantitative trait loci that are most likely to complement the current breeding pool for drought resistance. Better evaluation of these materials, followed by their utilization in precision drought research, will hasten the development of resilient crops.

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Drought Pushes Millions Into ‘Acute Hunger’ in Southern Africa

The disaster, intensified by El Niño, is devastating communities across several countries, killing crops and livestock and sending food prices soaring.

A man wearing a tan jacket and red shoes stands in a dusty field amid rows of dead corn, holding a dried stalk in two hands.

By Somini Sengupta and Manuela Andreoni

An estimated 20 million people in southern Africa are facing what the United Nations calls “acute hunger” as one of the worst droughts in more than four decades shrivels crops, decimates livestock and, after years of rising food prices brought on by pandemic and war, spikes the price of corn, the region’s staple crop.

Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all declared national emergencies.

It is a bitter foretaste of what a warming climate is projected to bring to a region that’s likely to be acutely affected by climate change, though scientists said on Thursday that the current drought is more driven by the natural weather cycle known as El Niño than by global warming.

Its effects are all the more punishing because in the past few years the region had been hit by cyclones, unusually heavy rains and a widening outbreak of cholera.

‘Urgent help’ is needed

The rains this year began late and were lower than average. In February, when crops need it most, parts of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Mozambique and Botswana received a fifth of the typical rainfall.

That’s devastating for these largely agrarian countries, where farmers rely entirely on the rains.

In southern Malawi, in a district called Chikwawa, some residents were wading into a river rife with crocodiles to collect a wild tuber known as nyika to curb their hunger. “My area needs urgent help,” the local leader, who identified himself as Chief Chimombo, said.

Elsewhere, cattle in search of water walked into fields still muddy from last year’s heavy rains, only to get stuck, said Chikondi Chabvuta, a Malawi-based aid worker with CARE, the international relief organization. Thousands of cattle deaths have been reported in the region, according to the group.

The first few months of every year, just before the harvest begins in late April and May, are usually a lean season. This year, because harvests are projected to be significantly lower , the lean season is likely to last longer. “The food security situation is very bad and is expected to get worse,” Ms. Chabvuta said.

Local corn prices have risen sharply. In Zambia, the price more than doubled between January 2022 and January of this year, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization . In Malawi, it rose fourfold.

The F.A.O. pointed out that, in addition to low yields, grain prices have been abnormally high because of the war in Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest grain exporters, as well as weak currencies in several southern African countries, making it expensive to buy imported food, fuel and fertilizers.

Why it’s happening

According to an analysis published Thursday by World Weather Attribution, an international coalition of scientists that focuses on rapid assessment of extreme weather events, the driving force behind the current drought is El Niño, a natural weather phenomenon that heats parts of the Pacific Ocean every few years and tweaks the weather in different ways in different parts of the world. In Southern Africa, El Niños tend to bring below-average rainfall.

El Niño made this drought twice as likely, the study concluded. That weather pattern is now weakening, but a repeat is expected soon.

The drought may also have been worsened by deforestation, which throws off local rainfall patterns and degrades soils, the study concluded.

Droughts are notoriously hard to attribute to global warming. That is particularly true in regions like Southern Africa, in part because it doesn’t have a dense network of weather stations offering detailed historical data.

Scientists are uncertain as to whether climate change played a role in this particular drought. However, there is little uncertainty about the long-term effects of climate change in this part of the world.

The average temperature in Southern Africa has risen by 1.04 to 1.8 degrees Celsius in the past 50 years , according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the number of hot days has increased. That makes a dry year worse. Plants and animals are thirstier. Moisture evaporates. Soils dry out. Scientific models indicate that Southern Africa is becoming drier overall .

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls Southern Africa a climate change “hot spot in terms of both hot extremes and drying.”

The costs of adaptation

To the millions of people trying to cope with this drought, it hardly matters whether climate change or something else is responsible for why the skies have gone dry.

What matters is whether these communities can adapt fast enough to weather shocks.

“It’s really important that resilience to droughts, especially in these parts of the continent, should really be improved,” said Joyce Kimutai, one of the authors of the study and a researcher at the Grantham Institute, a climate and environment center at Imperial College London.

There are existing solutions that need money to put into effect: early warning systems that inform people about what to expect, insurance and other social safety programs to help them prepare, as well as diversifying what farmers plant. Corn is extremely vulnerable to heat and erratic rains.

Golden Matonga contributed reporting.

Somini Sengupta is the international climate reporter on the Times climate team. More about Somini Sengupta

Manuela Andreoni is a Times climate and environmental reporter and a writer for the Climate Forward newsletter. More about Manuela Andreoni

Learn More About Climate Change

Have questions about climate change? Our F.A.Q. will tackle your climate questions, big and small .

Paris is becoming a city of bikes. Across China, people are snapping up $5,000 electric cars. Here’s a look at a few bright spots for emission reductions.

In theory, online shopping can be more efficient than driving to the store. But you may still want to think before you add to cart.

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Did you know the ♻ symbol doesn’t mean something is actually recyclable ? Read on about how we got here, and what can be done.

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Global Maps

Severe Drought in Southern Africa

February 2024 JPEG

A prolonged dry spell in southern Africa in early 2024 scorched crops and threatened food security for millions of people. The drought has been fueled in large part by the ongoing El Niño, which shifted rainfall patterns during the growing season.

From late January through mid-March, parts of Southern Africa received half or less of their typical rainfall, according to researchers at the Climate Hazards Center (CHC) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. February 2024 was especially dry. The map above shows the amount of rainfall during that month, as a percent of normal (from 1981-2024). The map is based on the Climate Hazards Center InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS).

Precipitation would normally be highest from December through February. But CHC researchers analyzing CHIRPS data found that February 2024 was the driest February in the 40-year data record for an area spanning much of Zambia, Zimbabwe, southeastern Angola, and northern Botswana.

The parched conditions came at a critical time when crops need ample water supply for growth and to produce grain. Insufficient rain and high temperatures resulted in crop failure in several countries. By the end of February, maize (corn) crops had withered and died on 1 million hectares in central and southern Zambia—almost half of the country’s maize-growing area.

The dry spell also affected livestock. Over 9,000 drought-related cattle deaths were reported in Zimbabwe, and over 1.4 million cattle are considered at high risk of drought conditions and death due to a lack of pasture and water.

Researchers at the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) have been tracking rainfall and crop conditions in southern Africa throughout the growing season, which runs from about November to April. FEWS NET is a program supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with other agencies , including NASA.

March 2024 JPEG

The map above shows soil moisture conditions at the root zone—an estimate of how much water is available for crops—in southern Africa for March 2024. Orange and red areas depict deficits in soil moisture. Data for the map come from the FEWS NET Land Data Assimilation System , which uses observational datasets and seasonal climate forecasts to provide monthly forecasts of hydrological conditions relevant to food security in Africa and the Middle East.

Maize is the single most important cereal crop in southern Africa, accounting for a majority of the region’s cereal production and 21 percent of the average person’s diet. Its success or failure can affect the amount of food available. FEWS NET experts estimated in March 2024 that millions of people faced “ crisis level ” food insecurity in Zimbabwe, Malawi, central Mozambique, and Madagascar. This level means that households are not able to meet their minimum food needs without seeking humanitarian food assistance or taking drastic measures such as selling essential assets.

Before the 2024 growing season, FEWS NET scientists had identified southern Africa as a region of concern . An October 2023 report cited past research showing that during years with a moderate to strong El Niño, the region has often seen below-normal rainfall and above-average daytime temperatures during key months of the growing season, reducing yields of maize.

“Based on our modeling and previous research on El Niño and crop yields, we were able to issue advanced warning of this drought back in the fall of 2023,” said Amy McNally, a FEWS NET researcher based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Scientists with FEWS NET and the GEOGLAM Crop Monitor for Early Warning shared the 2024 growing season forecast with humanitarian aid organizations, bringing attention to the potential drought, reduced crop harvests, and exacerbation of already inflated maize prices. “This allowed USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance to aim to have emergency food assistance resources allocated ahead of time,” McNally said.

Falling crop harvests and water shortages led to Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe declaring national disasters. Water for drinking and cooking has become scarcer as the region deals with an ongoing cholera outbreak.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has forecast dry conditions and below-normal rainfall until June 2024 for much of southern Africa. Many farmers in the region are either in or approaching the time of crop harvest, so the full impacts of the failed season are yet to be felt.

Although there may be no relief on the horizon for crop production in the near term, next year may have more favorable conditions. The April ENSO forecast indicates that there is an 85 percent likelihood of a La Niña developing in late 2024 and early 2025, which is often associated with above-normal precipitation and normal or above-normal maize yields in southern Africa.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang , using data from the Climate Hazards Center , at the University of California, Santa Barbara. FEWS NET data on drought and food insecurity are available on their data portal ; FEWS NET Land Data Assimilation System data products can also be accessed through NASA’s website and the NASA Giovanni portal . Story by Emily Cassidy .

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One of the driest growing seasons in decades has decimated crops and left millions hungry.

Image of the Day for April 23, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water Drought

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References & Resources

The Associated Press (2024, February 29) Fresh from a deadly cholera outbreak, Zambia declares drought a national emergency . Accessed April 22, 2024.
Climate Hazards Center, University of California, Santa Barbara (2024, March 24) Southern Africa Hit with Driest February on Record in Central Areas . Accessed April 22, 2024.
Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) (2023, October 3) Strong El Niño event will contribute to high food assistance needs through 2024 . Accessed April 22, 2024.
Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) (2024, March) Record dryness in February significantly lowers harvest prospects across the region . Accessed April 22, 2024.
GEOGLAM Crop Monitor for Early Warning (2023, August 24) El Niño 2023/2024 Anticipated Climate and Agricultural Yield Impacts . Accessed April 22, 2024.
GEOGLAM Crop Monitor for Early Warning (2024, April 4) Special Alert: El Niño-induced record dry spell threatens agricultural production outcomes across Southern Africa and raises concerns for food security . Accessed April 22, 2024.
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) (2024, April 10) Southern Africa drought: Impacts on maize production . Accessed April 22, 2024.
NASA Earth Observatory (2023, October 30) El Niño Forecast to Contribute to Food Insecurity . Accessed April 22, 2024.
PBS News Hour (2024, April 14) Extreme drought plunges southern Africa into hunger crisis . Accessed April 22, 2024.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) (2024, March 13) Southern Africa: El Niño, Positive Indian Ocean Dipole Forecast and Humanitarian Impact (February 2024) . Accessed April 22, 2024.
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) (2024, February) Humanitarian Snapshot: USAID/BHA in Southern Africa . Accessed April 22, 2024.

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Costa Rica Faces Water Supply Challenges Amid Severe Drought

In a press conference the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA), the government entity responsible for water supply in the country, announced that it cannot guarantee 100% of the water service due to the severe drought caused by the “El Niño” phenomenon and the scarcity of rainfall during the dry season, which lasts from November to May.

Juan Manuel Quesada, the executive president of AyA , stated that “the flow rates of surface sources have been reduced by up to 85% in the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José, making it impossible to guarantee water 24/7.”

This alarming situation has left residents of various areas in the capital, which is home to half of Costa Rica’s 5.1 million inhabitants, facing programmed cuts in their drinking water supply for weeks. Some neighborhoods have even gone days without access to water.

According to data from the National Meteorological Institute, the rainy season is expected to begin in the central area during the first week of May. However, AyA estimates that the normalization of the water supply systems will not occur until the end of that month. San José typically relies on water naturally supplied by rainfall in the Central Mountain Range that traverses the country from north to south. But the scarcity of precipitation has forced authorities to intervene and manage the limited supply.

AyA indicated that “the main surface sources, such as rivers and streams, have suffered large decreases in flow.” To compensate for the shortage and supply cuts, as well as to regulate the constant flow of water in the system, the managing entity has “redoubled efforts to incorporate sources that were not even planned,” including wells and tanker trucks. This highlights the severity of the situation and the need for immediate action to address the water crisis.

Furthermore, AyA has accelerated more than 40 infrastructure projects, worth over half a million dollars, to adapt and improve the water supply network. These initiatives aim to optimize the distribution of the limited water resources and minimize the impact of the drought on the population.

The current water crisis in Costa Rica underscores the vulnerability of the country’s water supply system to climate change and extreme weather events like El Niño. It also emphasizes the urgent need for long-term solutions, such as investing in more resilient infrastructure, promoting water conservation practices, and implementing effective water management strategies.

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Essay on Drought for Students and Children
500+ Words Essay on Drought. Drought is a dangerous condition which decreases the quality of life. It is termed as a natural disaster with harmful effects. A drought usually occurs when a region faces a shortage of water. This is mainly due to lesser rainfalls. In addition, droughts have proven to be fatal for mankind and wildlife as well.
Understanding Droughts
Major Droughts in the Past Century. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s is probably the most well-known drought experienced by the U.S. By 1934, 80 percent of the U.S. was struggling with moderate-to-severe drought conditions. The drought lasted nearly a decade and had devastating effects on crop production in the Great Plains. The combination of lack ...
Drought
A drought is a period of time when an area or region experiences below-normal precipitation.The lack of adequate precipitation, either rain or snow, can cause reduced soil moisture or groundwater, diminished stream flow, crop damage, and a general water shortage.. Droughts are the second-most costly weather events after hurricanes.Unlike with sudden weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes ...
Essay on Drought (2700 Words): Types, Causes & Imacts
Drought, a prolonged period of abnormally low precipitation, disrupts the rhythm of daily life, impacting everything from agriculture to industry to personal well-being. In this essay, we explore the intricacies of drought, including its origins, extensive repercussions, and the pressing requirement for viable solutions to alleviate its ...
What is drought? Causes, impact & countries most affected
Drought is caused by a lack of rainfall, causing serious water shortages. It can be fatal. More specifically, drought is defined by a period of unusually dry weather caused by low rainfall and high temperatures. It is also defined in terms of the impact on agriculture when crops fail due to lack of moisture in soil, leading to food shortages ...
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500 Words Essay on Drought Introduction. Drought, a natural disaster characterized by a prolonged period of insufficient rainfall, is a global phenomenon with profound impacts on both human and ecological systems. It is a complex, multi-dimensional issue that involves various aspects of climate, hydrology, and human activities. Understanding ...
Drought Essay in English for Students
Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas. Conclusion of Drought Essay. To sum it up, drought is a difficult situation with which we have to deal with. When the severity is high, it becomes all the more difficult to manage it. A lot of people get affected because of droughts every year as it reduces human activities.
Climate change and droughts: What's the connection?
While the intricacies of the climate change-drought connection are still being uncovered, scientists tend to agree on one thing: Droughts will likely become more intense into the 2050s and beyond. The likelihood of megadroughts - droughts lasting 10 years or more - is also projected to increase from its current 12% to more than 60%, a NASA ...
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USGS research spans geographic and temporal scales, exploring everything from short, local "flash" droughts to long-term, large-scale "mega" droughts. Our science helps to: Understand how climate change contributes to modern droughts. Explore the effects of droughts on plants, animals, ecosystems, and communities.
Essay on Drought for Students in English [500+ Words Essay]
This detailed essay on drought of 200-250 words is greatly helpful for all school students to perform well in essay writing competitions. Drought is a natural calamity where there is a water shortage everywhere, even for essential needs. People in many countries are suffering from drought, and others are losing their lives because of the lack ...
Drought and Agriculture
Drought can also exacerbate social tensions and fuel civil unrest. Agriculture bears much of the impact, and in developing countries it is the most affected sector, absorbing up to 80 percent of all direct impacts, with multiple effects on water availability, agricultural production, food security and rural livelihoods. ...
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Various Causes of Drought. 1. Natural causes. Some droughts have occurred naturally, plaguing humankind throughout much of our history. Until recently, naturally occurring droughts were often natural phenomena triggered by cyclical weather patterns, such as the amount of moisture and heat in the air, land, and sea. 2.
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Essay on Drought - For College and University Students (Essay 7 - 750 Words) Essay on Drought - Long Essay on Drought (Essay 8 - 1000 Words) Drought is a disaster which affects many regions of India every year. A natural disaster which leads to a shortage of water for drinking, agriculture and other practices is called a drought.
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The first essay is a long essay on Drought of 400-500 words. This long essay about Drought is suitable for students of class 7, 8, 9 and 10, and also for competitive exam aspirants. The second essay is a short essay on Drought of 150-200 words. These are suitable for students and children in class 6 and below.
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Essay on Drought for Students and Children - Types, Causes, Prevention Steps: Drought is one of both human and natural made disasters. The main cause to occur drought is the human activities around the area's environmental conditions. The more damage to the environment the more is the chance of rising to droughts.
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The report said that climate change made last year's drought in the northern Great Plains of the United States and a pounding six-day monsoon in northeast Bangladesh far more likely. Out of 146 ...
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Drought dampens microbiome development. Plants restructure their microbiomes as a 'cry for help' against biotic and abiotic stress. A recent study shows that prolonged drought stress causes a ...
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Essays on Drought . Essay examples. Essay topics. 12 essay samples found. Sort & filter. 1 A Report on The Droughts . 1 page / 630 words . ... Drought is a natural phenomenon that has plagued various regions around the world, and its impacts can be far-reaching and devastating. Cape Town, one of the most populous cities in South Africa ...
Drought: Types, Impacts and Preventive Measures: [Essay ...
The impacts of drought are largely non-structural and spread over a larger geographical area than damage from other natural hazards. The non-structural characteristic of drought impacts has certainly hindered the development of accurate, reliable, and timely estimates of severity and, ultimately, the formulation of drought preparedness plans by most governments.
What are Droughts: Definition, Types, Causes, Prevention and ...
Drought is shortly the unusual dryness of soil due to the levels of rainfall. Drought occurs when rainfall is significantly below average over a prolonged period. It is an event of shortages in the water supply, surface water, or groundwater. A drought can last for years, months or days. Shortage of water, Dry and hot winds, rise in temperature ...
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most important philosophies in drought definition and effects is given below: (a) Drought definition stage. In this stage, several disciplines recognize the. importance of the analysis of such a ...
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Drought Essay - 1 (200 words) Drought which is marked by the absence of or low rain in a particular region for a long period of time occurs because of various reasons including global warming, deforestation and many other human activities. This climatic condition can cause disastrous impact on the environment as well as the living beings.
Drought's Impact on the Community
Photo essay. Drought's Impact on the Community A journey to Rufunsa to see the impact of the drought on the community ... Join us on a journey as we witness the impact of the drought on Mpanshya village and the unwavering determination of the United Nations to find sustainable solutions that ensure no one is left behind amidst the turmoil.
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Drought is a serious threat to global food security. In upstream research, crop drought-tolerant traits are often studied under extreme drought conditions, which can seem irrelevant in the eyes of ...
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An estimated 20 million people in southern Africa are facing what the United Nations calls "acute hunger" as one of the worst droughts in more than four decades shrivels crops, decimates ...
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A prolonged dry spell in southern Africa in early 2024 scorched crops and threatened food security for millions of people. The drought has been fueled in large part by the ongoing El Niño, which shifted rainfall patterns during the growing season.. From late January through mid-March, parts of Southern Africa received half or less of their typical rainfall, according to researchers at the ...
Costa Rica Faces Water Supply Challenges Amid Severe Drought
In a press conference the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA), the government entity responsible for water supply in the country, announced that it cannot guarantee 100% of the water service due to the severe drought caused by the "El Niño" phenomenon and the scarcity of rainfall during the dry season, which lasts from November to May.

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