What are the main natural and human causes of drought. Drought in east africa the result of climate change and. Recently, the 20102011 horn of africa drought caused a wide range of dire situations in the region viste et al. This map of the most recent growing season in east africa reveals the poor conditions that led to famine in parts of somalia and a food emergency in somalia, ethiopia, kenya, and djibouti. Pdf east africa ea has been the primary focus for various drought studies in recent years. Ndmc meteorological drought is defined usually on the basis of the degree of dryness in comparison to some normal or average amount and the duration of the dry period. Ethiopia drought causes and solutions ethiopia reliefweb. Drought has become more frequent and intense worldwide the horn of africa has been affected by droughts almost every year for the past 12 years.
In the deserts of the southwest, the average precipitation is less than 3 inches per year. Lack or insufficient rainfall or precipitation this is the major cause of droughts in most regions. Majority of peasant people in nigeria rely on fuel wood as source of energy. This is why people must learn to insulate themselves from it implications by ensuring prudent use of water when its bountiful in supply. South africa have increased significantly, and the most common type of disaster is drought.
This report discusses why drought occurs in the united states. What the drought did was highlight existing vulnerabilities in south africas water system, and properly frame the magnitude of the challenge of ensuring water security for the country. It is a recurring phenomenon, with spatial and temporal characteristics that vary significantly from one region to another noaa, 2006. Drought and its associated impacts have been causing critical problems for. Impacts of drought induced water shortages in south africa. While geographers have researched the causes and impacts of drought in many african contexts, south africa and in particular its bantustans have not received sufficient similar attention. A drought is a period of drierthannormal conditions that results in waterrelated problems. Drought in southern africa, harare, 16 september 1993. According to the national climate data centre, droughts comes in second to hurricanes in regards to causing severe economic impacts. Mar 17, 2017 the 2016 drought scorched swaziland, leaving an estimated 638,251 people in need of aid. The foreign debt of african nations has increased so rapidly in recent years that threats of bankruptcy hover across the continent, raising the prospect that africas most serious crisis will be triggered not by drought, but by debt. Projected future aridity is presented based on recent studies and our analysis of model simulations. As humancaused climate change is increasingly pushed, many scientists are studying its supposed effects on drought. The causes of drought are either natural or manmade or both.
Some arid areas of africa suffered from sustained reduction of rainfall over several decades of the late twentieth century, and recurring droughts. Jan 23, 2020 regardless of a drought s stage, there are short and long term consequences with any drought because of nature and societys dependence on water. The western united states has experienced periods of horrible droughts throughout history, and climate change is blamed for producing more extreme weather variations in many other regions. The impact of drought on subsaharan african economies.
We obtained the number of years during 19802001 in which drought disasters were recorded for every country in southern africa botswana, lesotho, madagascar, malawi, mauritius, mozambique, namibia, south africa, swaziland, zambia, and zimbabwe from the emdat global disaster history database. All droughts originate from a deficiency of precipitation or meteorological drought but other types of drought and impacts cascade from this deficiency. Because drought is defined as a deficit in water supply, it can be caused by a number of factors. Reduced incomes due to drought caused gdp to fall by 1.
The recent drought conditions have affected some parts of ethiopia particularly hard because there are very few irrigation systems in. Drought is one of the most frequent and devastating phenomena that occur in south africa. Climate change has brought parts of zambia to the brink of famine zambia wrestles with devastating drought caused, experts say, by a dramatic shift in weather patterns. History suggests that severe and extended droughts are inevitable and part of natural climate cycles. This paper outlines firstly the dimensions of drought in south africa, including the biophysical and.
Scientific investigations have revealed that the primary cause is the fluctuation of the general atmospheric circulation. However, a comprehensive analysis of droughts, including their evolution, complexity, social implications. Diminished and late rainfall, combined with longterm increases in temperatures, have jeopardized the food security and energy supplies of millions of. Drought is increasingly on the minds of americans and concerned citizens everywhere. Most locations around the world have their own meteorological definition of drought based on the climate normals in the area. A lack of precipitation is the most common definition of drought and is usually the type of drought referred to in news reports and the media.
Aug 04, 2011 the recent drought conditions have affected some parts of ethiopia particularly hard because there are very few irrigation systems in a country where 85 percent still live in rural areas and. The south african weather service defines a drought as a period of 12 moths when. Zolotokrylin encyclopedia of life support systems eolss precipitation over the land mostly outside arid areas. We learned in the discussions about the water cycle and weather that changes in the wind patterns that move clouds and moisture through the atmosphere can cause a place to not receive its normal amount of rain or snow over a long period of time. Thousands are fleeing somalia to seek food in kenya and ethiopia, according to catholic relief services, which is responding to the disaster. Understanding what causes a lack of precipitation helps shape policies and choices that have. The amount of precipitation at a particular location varies from year to year, but over a period of years, the average amount is fairly constant. This causes drought conditions later on when people or natural systems are accustomed to having water available from snowmelt. It describes the issues of drought identification, causes, prediction. Jul 04, 2011 prolonged drought in the horn of africa is the immediate cause of the severe food crisis already affecting around 10 million people in parts of kenya, ethiopia, djibouti and somalia. More rain, sleet, hail, and snow can occur where there are moist, lowpressure air systems. It can be caused by not receiving rain or snow over a period of time.
Drought definitions conceptual definitions, formulated in general terms, help people understand the concept of drought. One of the main causes of drought in south africa is the variability in rainfall. For many in east africa, the current drought is the worst in living memory. The air then rises, loses its moisture during rainfall, and then flows westward and descends over africa, causing drought conditions in ethiopia and kenya. The effects of drought are widespread and have devastating effects on the environment and the society as a whole. Meteorological drought is caused by persistent anomalies e. Causes and current understanding congressional research service summary drought is a natural hazard with potentially significant economic, social, and ecological consequences. Western cape province in south africa is going through a severe drought, affecting in particular the highly populated urban area of cape town and its water supply. Hence, there is a pressing need for an overview of drought studies in ea. Recurrence of drought in nigeria causes effects and report,1 understanding what drought is and its causes, how it has affected north america in the past, and how drought may affect the united states in the future all bear on actions congress may take to prepare for and mitigate the effects of drought. Prolonged drought in the horn of africa is the immediate cause of the severe food crisis already affecting around 10 million people in parts of.
The debt problem is not only slowing economic growth and increasing poverty. Vogt 1 executive summary of part i western cape province in south africa is going through a severe drought, affecting in particular the. A drought means a long period of dry weather during which the lack of rain results in a severe shortage of water. Problems associated with drought can have economic, environmental, and social impacts on both the areas where they occur and areas that have relations with those where the drought happens. We learned in the discussions about the water cycle and weather that changes in the wind patterns that move clouds and moisture through the atmosphere can cause a place to not receive its normal amount of rain or snow over a long period of time if you live in a place where most. Zolotokrylin encyclopedia of life support systems eolss van nostrand reinhold company, new york. Southern africa is suffering through its worst drought in several decades and perhaps a century. The 2016 drought scorched swaziland, leaving an estimated 638,251 people in need of aid. The 201820 southern africa drought is an ongoing period of drought taking place in southern africa. The most important one though relates to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere as this is what creates precipitation. The current drought is the effect of a sustained belowaverage monthly rainfall series since 2015, which intensified in the last wet season april to september 2017. Types, causes and effects of droughts earth eclipse.
The rainfall forecast is for average to abovenormal rains, but household productivity is expected to be lower than normal. Countries that experience little rainfall have an even greater scarcity of rainfall. As a consequence of such fluctuations the rainproducing components for ethiopia have been weakened or dislocated during drought years. The increasing rate of evaporation from the soil and vegetation leads to drought in africa. A longdrawnout period without rainfall can cause an area to dry out. As the meteorological mechanisms that cause drought make clear. These are just two of the headlines that appeared in january. East africa ea has been the primary focus for various drought studies in recent years. Basic food prices remain high at the peak of the lean season. Causes, effects and mitigation 173 of trees due to drought. Drought characteristics and management in north africa and the. Recent years include the most dreadful droughts in the horn, and severe droughts in 2009 and 2011 in kenya. Because of the crisis in ethiopia, and across the region, cafod has launched an emergency appeal for east africa. Sheep and goats which have died because of the continuous drought situation in somaliland.
The drought began in late october 2018, and is negatively affecting food security in the region. These scientists concluded, after examining the regions weather and climate data, that most of that warming is the result of greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions from human activities. Vogt 1 executive summary of part i western cape province in south africa is going through a severe drought. Data from the centre for research on the epidemiology of disaster 2011 show that drought is a major. The western part of southern africa is set to become drier, with increasing drought frequency and number of heat waves toward the end of the 21st century. In south africa, drought is a very important phenomenon that affects not only agricultural production but also society. This paper outlines firstly the dimensions of drought in south.
The global warming situation tends to exacerbate the drought conditions. An operational definition of drought helps people to identify the beginning, end, and degree of. Droughts and desertification key concepts you must know, or be able to do the following. Jul 26, 2011 the drought in east africa is reportedly the regions worst in six decades, and it threatens the lives of millions of people with food shortages. Africa is a good example of great vulnerability to drought and desertification and a seemingly inability to manage these climate based issues. Some of the worst droughts witnessed in subsaharan africa have been associated with global warming and climate change.
Strategic advance management in anticipation of a drought a drought that strikes a prepared farmer is a drought that will bring less loss and fear than expected. The impacts of drought first order impacts such as food security concerns and second order impacts such as increasing food imports from abroad produce a range of effects for many in society benson and clay, 1998. However, a comprehensive analysis of droughts, including their evolution, complexity, social implications and peoples vulnerability is currently lacking. For example, in southern africa droughts tend to happen in the december to march rainy season. Assess which areas would be prone to droughts and desertification on both a global, regional and local scale. Anticipatory management axel rothauge neudamm agricultural college, pbag 188, windhoek, namibia 2. The recent drought in southern africa has underscored the need for detailed analysis of the phenomenon. This report forms part of a series of three reports.
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