Environment - Drought

1. Drought occurs due to lack of water through low rainfall.

2. During dry weather, water levels drop in reservoirs, rivers, the ground and water-bearing rocks below ground.

3. Each drought is different in severity, location and duration.

4. A drought starts when total rainfall is below average for several months.

5. Other signs are unusually low river flows, very dry soil, reduced crop yield or crop failure.

6. Droughts result in a shortage of water for people, agriculture and industry.

7. Wells and boreholes dry up so people travel miles in search of water.

8. Droughts have serious consequences for developing countries causing animal deaths, human malnourishment, disease and death.

9. Drought can occur over a period of several years.

10. The land can become starved of nourishment or contaminated with mineral salts.

11. This means when the rain does come the land can no longer support much growth.

12. Drought can also cause fires, as woods, forests and heaths burn easily due to a combination of the drought and great heat.

13. Brushfires are triggered by hot, dry weather and can cause great destruction.

14. Nowadays there are greater demands on supplies of water.

15. There are more 1 person households, household appliances, gardens, cars etc.

16. Drought causes an increased risk of disease.

17. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation already kills over 1.5 million children under 5 each year.

18. The current extent of drought could double by end of twenty-first century.

19. Small-scale farming in Africa provides most of continent’s food and 70% of employment.

20. They virtually all dependent on regular rainfall.

21. Recurrent droughts since 1970 have caused crop failures in large number of African countries.

22. The droughts are thought to be due to warming of Indian Ocean due to greenhouse gas emissions.

23. Millions of people are in need of urgent assistance in drought-affected areas.

24. Governments give money to deliver food aid and emergency water supplies.