Drought

A drought (or drouth [archaic]) is an extended period of months or years when a

region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region
receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on
the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for
several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm
the local economy. This global phenomenon has a widespread impact on agriculture.

Types of drought

As a drought persists, the conditions surrounding it gradually worsen and its impact on
the local population gradually increases. People tend to define droughts in three main
ways:

1. Meteorological drought is brought about when there is a prolonged period with less than
average precipitation. Meteorological drought usually precedes the other kinds of
drought.
2. Agricultural droughts are droughts that affect crop production or the ecology of
the range. This condition can also arise independently from any change in precipitation
levels when soil conditions and erosion triggered by poorly planned agricultural
endeavors cause a shortfall in water available to the crops. However, in a traditional
drought, it is caused by an extended period of below average precipitation.
3. Hydrological drought is brought about when the water reserves available in sources such
as aquifers, lakes and reservoirs fall below the statistical average. Hydrological drought
tends to show up more slowly because it involves stored water that is used but not
replenished. Like an agricultural drought, this can be triggered by more than just a loss
of rainfall.
Causes

Generally, rainfall is related to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, combined
with the upward forcing of the air mass containing that water vapor. If either of these are
reduced, the result is a drought. This can be triggered by an above average prevalence
of high pressure systems, winds carrying continental, rather than oceanic air masses
(i.e. reduced water content), and ridges of high pressure areas form with behaviors
which prevent or restrict the developing of thunderstorm activity or rainfall over one
certain region. Oceanic and atmospheric weather cycles such as the El Niño-Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) make drought a regular recurring feature of the Americas along the
Pacific coast and Australia.  Another climate oscillation known as the North Atlantic
Oscillation has been tied to droughts in northeast Spain.

Human activity can directly trigger exacerbating factors such as over farming, excessive
irrigation, deforestation, and erosion adversely impact the ability of the land to capture
and hold water. While these tend to be relatively isolated in their scope, activities
resulting in global climate change are expected to trigger droughts with a substantial
impact on agriculture throughout the world, and especially in developing
nations. Overall, global warming will result in increased world rainfall. Along with
drought in some areas, flooding and erosion will increase in others. Paradoxically, some
proposed solutions to global warming that focus on more active techniques, solar
radiation management through the use of a space sunshade for one, may also carry
with them increased chances of drought.

Consequences

Periods of drought can have significant environmental, agricultural, health, economic

and social consequences. The effect varies according to vulnerability. For example,
subsistence farmers are more likely to migrate during drought because they do not have
alternative food sources. Areas with populations that depend on subsistence farming as
a major food source are more vulnerable to drought-triggered famine.

Drought can also reduce water quality, because lower water flows reduce dilution of
pollutants and increase contamination of remaining water sources. Common
consequences of drought include:

 Diminished crop growth or yield productions and carrying capacity for livestock

 Dust bowls, themselves a sign of erosion, which further erode the landscape
 Dust storms, when drought hits an area suffering from desertification and erosion
 Famine due to lack of water for irrigation
 Habitat damage, affecting both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
 Malnutrition, dehydration and related diseases
 Mass migration, resulting in internal displacement and international refugees
 Reduced electricity production due to insufficient available coolant for power
stations,  and reduced water flow through hydroelectric dams
 Shortages of water for industrial users
 Snakes migration and increases in snakebites
 Social unrest
 War over natural resources, including water and food
 Wildfires, such as Australian bushfires, are more common during times of drought
That Caribbean Drought
April 13, 2010
By David Jessop
Carib World News, LONDON, England, Tues. April 13, 2010:  Before last December`s climate
change conference in Copenhagen, global public opinion was clearly supportive of an
internationally agreed initiative to address the man-made aspects of global warming. Now it is
more divided.
The failure of the conference to reach a binding agreement; revelations that the United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had disseminated inaccurate information; and the
worrying evangelical fervor of some scientists, NGOs and others on the issue, have led a
sceptical public to become less certain as to whether global warming is caused by human
activity or factors beyond man`s control.
Despite this, it is evident that across the globe, nations are experiencing ever more extreme
weather conditions.
In the Caribbean, this is now taking the form of a prolonged drought, not just in traditionally hard
hit rural areas, but in the region`s towns and cities where there are severe water shortages.
Caribbean officials link the prolonged drought to the weather phenomenon, El Niño, to climate
change, and to a poorly maintained and funded water distribution network and related fact that
dam and reservoir levels are down by record levels as rivers dry up.
Alarmingly the story is the same across the region.
Water levels in Jamaica`s two main reservoirs are down to fifty per cent of their normal level.
There the National Water Commission has warned that it can no longer guarantee water in parts
of Kingston and would limit availability to a few hours each day. Agriculture is hit particularly
badly.
`Crops are wilting. Farmers who want plant vegetables cannot do so unless their farm is located
in proximity to swampy areas, or at least be able to purchase water, ` the President of the
Jamaica Agricultural Society, Glendon Harris is reported as having said.
In Barbados, government recently activated a drought management plan and has made clear
that restrictions could be enforced if the situation deteriorates. However, the Barbados Water
Authority believes that for the time being voluntary conservation will go a long way towards
avoiding dislocations and water outages, should conditions worsen.
For its part, the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology has issued drought alerts for
the whole of the south-eastern Caribbean and advised national governments and water
authorities to activate drought management plans. 
The Antigua Public Utilities Authority is warning that only a few weeks of supply remains in its
main dams in the absence of any significant rainfall.
In Trinidad, the Water and Sewerage Authority has reported that reservoir levels are dropping to
an unprecedented level. The country is now running on just about one third of its water supplies
and there are now real fears that the country`s water supply will run out before June as levels in
dams and reservoirs, traditionally around eighty per cent at this time of year are closer to forty
per cent with the last significant rainfall in May 2009. The drought is also affecting Petrotrin`s
refinery operations.
In Guyana, the authorities estimate that drought-related losses in the agriculture sector could
reach US$14.7m. The government has also spent large sums on improving irrigation and
pumping water into farmlands. Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said in February, `We have
close to 10,000 acres of rice land under stress; we have cattle, too, going through some very
difficult conditions; we have some crops under pressure in the hinterland areas.`
The impact on sugar cane cultivation has been particularly severe after missing the seasonal
November/December rains.
The drought is also affecting mining operations in Guyana`s interior. With companies unable to
transport fuel, miners or supplies by river, they are being forced to either cut production or use
more costly modes of transport.
Dominica too, despite its high rainfall and river systems, has warned consumers that the
drought could get worse and there is the possibility that there will not be sufficient pressure to
provide water to many communities. It also seems in parallel that there have been discussions
about supplying up to 2 million gallons of water a week to hotels in St Lucia but this has been
denied by the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company to local media.
Shortages and problems have also been reported in the Hispanic Caribbean and the situation
has not been helped by bush fires in Trinidad, St Lucia and Grenada, which have required
significant quantities of water to extinguish. 
Even in nations like St Kitts, where average rainfall in the first three months exceeded the
previous year, there is concern because the general forecast is that the dry season will be drier
than normal.
Despite this, any region-wide initiative failed to materialize when Caribbean Heads of
Government met in March. Then, heads confined themselves to assessing the implications of
the drought and resultant water shortages, preferring to wait and ask CARICOM Ministers
responsible for water to formalize a `wide range of immediate, short, medium and long term
measures on sustainable water management` for submission to heads of Government in July.
Worryingly, one less considered consequence of the drought that some experts have begun to
consider relates to the drought`s effect on hurricane behavior. They suggest that the absence of
rain means that Caribbean water temperatures have increased significantly carrying with it the
danger that if 2010 is a particularly active season, then hurricane intensity could increase
dramatically.
Whether all of this is simply a reflection of long term cyclical movements in weather patterns,
increased solar radiation or human activity is largely irrelevant. The region is facing yet another
crisis. It is one that is every bit as significant as those that remain unresolved relating to high oil
and food prices and the global economic downturn.
The water shortage requires a rapid regional consensus and a well considered response
strategy.
Mitigation strategies

 Cloud seeding - an artificial technique to induce rainfall.

 Desalination of sea water for irrigation or consumption.
 Drought monitoring - Continuous observation of rainfall levels and comparisons with
current usage levels can help prevent man-made drought. For instance, analysis of water
usage in Yemen has revealed that their water table (underground water level) is put at grave
risk by over-use to fertilize their Khat crop. Careful monitoring of moisture levels can also
help predict increased risk for wildfires, using such metrics as the Keetch-Byram Drought
Index or Palmer Drought Index.
 Land use - Carefully planned crop rotation can help to minimize erosion and allow
farmers to plant less water-dependent crops in drier years.
 Rainwater harvesting - Collection and storage of rainwater from roofs or other suitable
catchments.
 Recycled water - Former wastewater (sewage) that has been treated and purified for
reuse.
 Transvasement - Building canals or redirecting rivers as massive attempts at irrigation in
drought-prone areas.
 Outdoor water-use restriction - Regulating the use of sprinklers, hoses or buckets on
outdoor plants, filling pools, and other water-intensive home maintenance tasks.