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Understanding Droughts and Their Impact

Droughts, caused by prolonged lack of rainfall, affect more people than any other natural disaster, particularly in arid regions like East Africa. There are four types of drought: agricultural, socioeconomic, hydrological, and meteorological, each impacting water supply and crop growth differently. The worst drought in history was the 1930s dust bowl in the US, and preparation for drought includes water conservation measures such as reducing shower time and fixing leaks.

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2 views2 pages

Understanding Droughts and Their Impact

Droughts, caused by prolonged lack of rainfall, affect more people than any other natural disaster, particularly in arid regions like East Africa. There are four types of drought: agricultural, socioeconomic, hydrological, and meteorological, each impacting water supply and crop growth differently. The worst drought in history was the 1930s dust bowl in the US, and preparation for drought includes water conservation measures such as reducing shower time and fixing leaks.

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elizabeth2012v
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DROUGHTS

Did you know that drought has affected more people in the last 40 years than any other natural disaster?

What are droughts?


Droughts are created when many years go by without rainfall . As a result, cracks are made in the
ground, which often is the telltale sign that your region is experiencing a drought. Cracks show
that the land has dried [Link] some cases it’s not severe for example 6 or 8 months without water
but in others centuries go by without rain and so there will obviously be a lack of water. For
example in East Africa, people are often affected by droughts and so they rarely have any water,
this can cause many problems.

The cause of droughts


Droughts are caused by a lack of rainfall or a lack of water in general. There are 4 types of
drought,“ agricultural droughts, agricultural droughts occur when there is not enough moisture in
the soil to sustain the growth of crops, socioeconomic droughts, socioeconomic droughts occur
when the water supply is too low to support human and environmental needs, hydrological
droughts, hydrological droughts occur when there is a lack of water on the surface and
subsurface water supply and finally meteorological droughts meteorological droughts are
region-specific; they
receives less rainfall than it normally should.

Which are the worst affected areas?


The areas worst affected by this natural disaster are usually dry places such as deserts or in
countries with a very hot climate. As we said before the worst affected areas are in the
north-east of Africa with countries such Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malakai among many others.
Worst droughts in history
The worst drought ever recorded was the 1930s dust bowl drought in the US. It lasted for 6
years and saw 15-25% less precipitation than normal.

Impact on stuff
According to [Link] “Drought can lead to decreased water quantity and quality, increased
incidence of illness or disease, increased mortality rates, and adverse mental health outcomes as
livelihoods are challenged”

How prepare if a drought happens


It would be better if you don’t use a lot of water, (Take showers no more than 5 minutes). Fix
dripping water faucets by replacing washers, check all plumping for leaks and have any leaks
repaired by a plumber.

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