Drought

Droughts occur when a long period of abnormally dry weather leads to a severe water
shortage. Droughts are also often caused by the activity of humans as well. Human
activities that can help trigger droughts include:
Widespread cutting down of trees for fuel. This reduces the soil's ability
to hold water and dries out the ground, triggering desertification, leading eventually
drought.
Construction of a dam on a large river. This may help provide electricity
and water to irrigate farmland near the reservoir: however, it may also cause
drought downstream by severely reducing the flow of water.

Effects of drought

Parched ground during drought in Namibia

Droughts endanger lives and livelihoods through thirst, hunger (due to crops
dying from lack of water) and the spread of disease.
Millions of people died in the 20th century due to severe drought and
famines. One of the worst hit areas was the Sahel region of Africa, which covers
parts of Eritrea, Ethiopia and the Sudan.
Droughts and famines can have other geographical impacts. If drought forces
people to migrate to a new home it could put pressure on resources in neighbouring
countries.
Droughts can have a severe impact on MEDCs as well as LEDCs. Droughts
have caused deaths in Europe in recent years, especially among the elderly. During
the UK summer of 2006 there were hose pipe bans and campaigns to make people
save water.

Drought in the Sahel


Map showing location of Sahel

Food for distribution Yabelo area, Southwest Ethiopia
The Sahel region of Africa has been suffering from drought on a regular basis since
the early 1980s. The area naturally experiences alternating wet and dry seasons. If
the rains fail it can cause drought.
In addition to natural factors, the land is marginal. Human activities such
as overgrazing, over-cultivation and the collection of firewood can lead to
desertification, particularly when combined with drought conditions.
The result is crop failure, soil erosion, famine and hunger, which then means that
people are less able to work when their need is greatest. It becomes a vicious circle
and can result in many deaths, especially among infants and the elderly. In Niger in
2004, the situation was made worse when a plague of locusts consumed any
remaining crops. In these cases, people rely on food aid from the international
community.
On its own, food aid is unsustainable in the long term. What is really needed
is development aid, which involves educating the local community in farming
practices.

Case study: the impact of drought in the UK (2004)

The years 2004-06 were one of the driest periods on record in the UK.
 Southeast England is particularly vulnerable to drought because it has a high population
density. There are 13 million people living in the region and the demand for water resources
is high. There are few reservoirs, which means there is a heavy reliance on groundwater
supplies. Two consecutive dry winters meant that these supplies were not replenished.

Drought warning in Devon

Hose-pipe bans were introduced in an effort to conserve water.

Groundwater fell to its lowest level on record.
Some rivers dried up.
Low river flow meant that pollution had a greater impact on the environment.
Fish were more likely to die because of low flow, low oxygen levels and
higher water temperatures.
Kew Gardens introduced a range of measures to conserve water, eg only
watering newly planted trees and newly turfed areas.