MAN AND NATURAL DISASTERS --- Drought; "just a little water please", he pleaded.

Few years ago, a journalist told a story of what she encountered when she visited Hadado, a small town in the western part of Kenya's Wajir County when they experienced drought. In her words,

There was nothing alive for as far as the eye can see.

Till they saw a little United States girl with her goats. Her name is (or maybe was, cause no one knows if she survived because she was looking so thin and fragile that you can practically count all her bones) Hindiya, she was 10 years old as of then. She was traveling with her father, sister, brother and other members of her extended family, each family with her goats, but at that point, the drought forced the family to separate because there was barely enough water for a single person, talk less of the whole extended family and their goats. Her mother and the rest of her family had to go to Somalia with the rest of her family in search for water and food for their camel. While little Hindiya tagged along side her father and siblings, and they went wherever they heard that there maybe water. Quite a lot of the members of her extended family died on the road.

That was how they wandered even up to the north, even to the Mandera County were they stayed till the water there also finished. Yet again they resumed their wandering. By the time this journalist met them, they have been walking for complete 17 days almost without stopping. They were almost fainting of thirst by then, and when the journalist and her crew gave Hindiya and her family water, they drank it as if it could be there last, not even a drop was remaining. I better not talk about feeding, hundreds of their goats died. At a point, they had to eat the carcass of their dead goat for food, (that was if they have any water to prepare it). It was quite terrible.

pixabay.com: Drought

Imagine starving to death. Gosh! the truth, droughts are very bad. In this article, I will be telling us what causes drought, different types of drought, how to prevent droughts from occurring, what to do in case drought occurs and the possible solutions to drought.

Hence it is advised while travelling to places to get enough water, if you will be visiting Fayetteville North Carolina, do keep that in Mind, here are some 31 Fayetteville things to do to give you a fun time.

DROUGHT

Whenever the precipitation that occurs in a region is below average and it results to a very low amount of water (be it atmospheric, ground or surface water), a drought is said to have occurred.

Droughts can really last for a very long time. Some last for months, some for years, but most times, for a place to be declared as a region experiencing drought, it must have experienced shortage of water supply for 15 days. The effect of drought can't be overstated. When a drought occurs, it really affects agriculture, economy and also the ecosystem of that region. Factors like long dry seasons, subsequent bush fires and prolonged periods of heat increases the probability of drought occurring in an area. All these factors have one thing in common, and that is that they increase the rate at which evaporation of water vapor occurs.

CAUSES OF DROUGHT

Lack or reduction of precipitation

Before I discuss on how lack of precipitation causes drought, I will first start by defining what precipitation is. Precipitation is defined as any form of water particle whether in liquid or solid state that falls from the atmosphere to the ground. Precipitations are classified into three, depending on if it falls as a liquid water that remains liquid when it gets to the ground, or as a liquid water that freezes immediately it touches the surface of the earth or as ice.

The three main mechanisms by which precipitation are produced are :-

Convective precipitation:- Which are always characterized by strong vertical motions which can easily cause the atmosphere in a particular location to overturn just in a space of an hour, resulting to a very heavy precipitation.

Stratiform precipitation:- They are quite different from the convective one. The processes involved are characterized by mainly weaker upwards motions and very low precipitation, though they may last for a while.

Orographic precipitation:- It looks like the stratiform,the only major difference between the two is that this time the moisture rises up through the air due to the forces the mass of air containing the water moisture meets as it rises through elevated lands.

Areas that are known to suffer drought are normally places that experience low amount of precipitation even when they are not threatened by drought. Once the amount of precipitation in the area is not enough to reach the surface of the earth and remain for a reasonable time, what would surely be the result is a drought. The reason for this is that the little moisture which managed to fall gets easily dried up by the sun.

High amount of reflected sunlight:-

Another factor that triggers drought is the amount of reflected sunlight and a high pressure system that prevails over a region for sometime. This is because the winds that carry continental air masses and the ridges of high pressure areas up prevents thunderstorm activities or rainfall from forming over that region. Thus, it doesn't take much convincing to believe that once a region is on the verge of drought, these factors and minimal evapotranspiration will make the drought condition even more severe.

Dry Season

Another factor that increases the probability of a drought occurrence is dry season.

Dry seasons itself are characterized by low humidity and high sunshine which dries up watering holes and rivers. When this occurs, it forces animals like zebra, elephants e.t.c to leave their habitat and then migrate to a land that has more food supplies. Lack of water during dry season doesn't only result to drought, when water dries out in plants, wildfires are more likely to occur. It is a wide spread knowledge that period of warmth has a negative effect on the growth of fruits and vegetation as it increases evaporation and transpiration at a rate so fast that there might not be any water stored up in the plant.

Erosion and human activities

Human activities like over farming, excessive irrigation, deforestation, bush burning and erosion affects the topography of the land and also affect the "amount of water" holding ability of a land. Erosion in some areas of arid climates are caused by wind, as erosion are not only caused by the excessive flow of water over an area, but can also be caused by the movement of land materials by wind.

This occurs mainly when small particles are lifted up from the region by wind and then carried to another region resulting to the deflation of the initial position. Another way in which this erosion might occur is by abrasion. The suspended particles within the winds erodes solid objects on earth when they make an impact on those solid objects. Wind erosion are more likely to occur in places with very small or no vegeations where there is barely enough rainfall that can enable vegetation to grow.

Climate Change

Whenever those activities that results to climate changes occurs, it's not unwise to assume that a drought which is really going to have a strong impact on agriculture throughout the world would soon follow. This impact is more felt by those living in developing countries. Man have tried to solve the problem of global warming by proposing solutions for solar radiation management by using space sunshade. Well, it's quite ironic that this solution to climatic change increases the chances of a drought occurring.

TYPES OF DROUGHT

Droughts are bad, when it happens, the conditions which surrounds it worsens little by little, and as the day goes by, it's effect on the population gradually increases. Based on how they occur, we classify droughts in three ways:

Meteorological drought

This kind of drought is the first to occur in a place before the other types of drought follow suite. Meteorological drought happens whenever the precipitation in an area for a long period of time is less than average.

Agricultural drought

This is the type that affects the crop production of that region. It arises when there is a change in the level of the water available for plants in the soil. These changes can be as a result of reduction in precipitation in that area over an extended period, erosion or purely an unplanned agricultural management.

pxhere.com: Agricultural drought arises when there is a drop in the soil's water level

Hydrological drought

This kind of drought occurs when the level of water reserves in oceans, lakes, aquifer and reserviors is below the statistical average. The main reason why hydrological drought happens is due to usage of these stored up water without replenishing it. Hydrological droughts happens a bit more slowly than the other types, but it's end is sure and disastrous. When there is no rainfall over a region, the region is in danger of a hydrological drought.

EFFECTS OF DROUGHT

Basically, the effects of drought can be classified into three major group based on how it's impact is felt. These three major groups are; environmental, economic and social.

Environmental effects

Considering the effects of drought on the environment, it is quite obvious that they are quite numerous. These effects includes, drying out of the wetlands, a higher inflation density, a reduction in the water level at surface and subterranean levels up to the extent that it poses as a danger to amphibian lives. Other effects includes poor states of trees and the increment in the number of pests and diseases in that area due to the increase in pollution.

A high supply of water really helps to control pollution. I remember vividly a time during my first year in the university, a faction in school in charge of light and water decided to go on strike for months. It was terrible, we barely found water to take our bath, talk less of the one for washing of clothes. I don't even want to talk about the hustle to get water for going to the loo. Every looked so disgusting, we really had to hope on the rain for water. This continued till the students protested on behalf of those factions. Just a lack of water we saw hell, imagine what a drought can do.

Economic effects

These losses are measured in monetary terms. These losses can be felt in lower agricultural output, reduction in the number of forests, an increase the cost of food production, reduction in power production in hydro plants, lack of water supply for technological processes like mining, metallurgy, paper production e.t.c. Whenever drought occurs, food becomes the rich man's commodity since food production companies, even if they have enough resources do lack water for food production. It can be clearly seen from all these how drought greatly affects the economy.

Social effects

Droughts can have quite an effect on the society. These effects are negative and they are detrimental to the lives of people in the area of drought occurrence. Some of these effects are possible limitation of water supplies, and increase in the level of pollution as people can barely find water for taking their bath, an increment in the cost of living, high food cost, emotional stresses as a result of series of failed harvests, excessive heat waves over the region e.t.c. It is not far from the truth if one should say that drought kind off reduces the chances of a developing country to become developed.

Other effects of drought

Other effects of drought includes soil erosion, malnutrition, dehydration, diseases, reduction in the quality of water remaining due to pollution, forced migration of man and animal, famine, loss of aquatic habitat, death of aquatic animals, hunger, starvation, snakes migration which result to an increases in cases of snake bites. Also, lack of peace of mind, bushfire, exposure and acidification of soils containing sulphates, dust storms and war over the remaining natural resources are the problems which arises due to droughts.

PREVENTION OF DROUGHT

60% of the human body is made up of water, and every cell in the body needs water to function. It is said that no one can survive more than 120 hours without water, unfortunately, drought last even more than that. It is of man's best of interest to device a means of either preventing drought, or finding a solution for it.

With this following strategies, man can prevent drought from occurring.

Moderate Use of Land:- Excessive usuage of land for cultivation affects the topography of the land and makes it prone to erosion, especially if the plant is a water dependent crop. Thus if the farmer carefully practice crop rotation, planting a water dependent crop this year, and in the next planting a crop that is less water dependent, it would help to minimize erosion in that land and also prevent drought. Also, it would enable the farmer to plant less water dependent on that land even if drought occurs.

Restriction of unnecessary use of water:- In areas that are more prone to drought, water should be conserved and it's usuage should be restricted to only when they are necessary. This can be done by regulating the use of sprinklers and buckets on outdoor plants, watering them only when it is necessary. Also filling of pools should be done only when it is of extreme important.

Drought monitoring:- Man can prevent the occurrence of drought by monitoring the level of rainfall in a specified period and also comparing it with the past levels of rainfall over the years so as to detect if there is a reduction in the level of rainfalls and also a reduction in the underground water level, know if the cause is man influence, what to do about it, and if possible prevent any future drought from occurring. One of the places were drought was prevented from happening by drought monitoring is Yemen. It was discovered that the underground water in Yemen was at great risk due to their over usage of fertilizer.

Another added advantage of drought monitoring is that it helps predict areas that are more likely to experience wildfire by checking the amount of moisture in that area.

Recycling of water :- Countries like Israel with low supply of water doing throw out there waste water after usuage, rather, they purify and treat it such that it becomes consumable, then reuse it.

Also uilding of canals that would direct water from rivers to areas that are prone to drought should be considered, it can also help in preventing drought.

MAN AND DROUGHT

Somalia/East Africa Famine and Drought

This drought which occurred in 2011 started first at Somalia before it did spread throughout East Africa. 260,000 people died of starvation, thirst and severe hunger. This death could have been averted if the aid that was sent to them by western countries arrived at the time when it was most needed. These aids were delayed by the militant group Al-shabab (which are in affiliation with Al-Qaeda) in control of Somalia as of then. At first, Al-Shabab thought that the aid was a ploy to infiltrate them, so they denied that Somalia was suffering from drought and banned every aid. Before anyone would know, the famine had already spreaded to other regions if Africa. Finally when the aid arrive, the famine/drought was officially over.

Ethiopian Famine

Occurring during the periods of 1984-1985, the Ethiopian famine is one of the worst drought/famine that have happened in human history. It started first in 1981 when the first drought wipe out all their crops putting about five million people in the risk of dying of starvation. 1984 was more terrible than the 1981 drought. The food that was produced in 1984 wasn't enough to feed half the population, immediately, famine kicked in. The western nations were very slow at first to come to their aid despite the pictures of starving children that was circulated throughout the world. This was because of Ethiopia's marxist structure of government. The aftermath was the death of more than 1 million people by starvation. Finally, the aid was sent, especially by the United Kingdom, and 1985, the condition of the country was already improving.

Picture by Wellcome Images - Wikicommon CC BY-SA 4.0
Effects of drought/famine

Chinese Drought/Famine

Even though it is not widely acknowledged in China, it is a truth that in 1942 a drought occurs in China which resulted to a famine that killed millions of people in the province of Henan between 1942 and 1943. It was really bad when it happened, the drought affected the production of crops, there was barely any yield that year, thus, like wildfire, the famine did spread so fast, and the number of deaths recorded due to starvation at that time was more than 3 million. It was quite unfortunate that China did not have the resources needed to solve the famine problem, so the effect could not be placed in check. American reporters that went to China to report the event found a lot of people starving to death, those that were already dead were left on the street to become foods for dogs. They also saw signs that showed that people resolved to cannibalism for feeding too.

The Texas drought of 2010-2011

This drought started from November of 2010 and lasted to the August of 2011. There was no water anywhere, none to give to human talkless of the one for livestock. Livestock died, crops died. The loss Texas suffered just in that drought was about $5.2 billion, $1.1 billion more than the loss they experienced in 2006. Most droughts are followed by severe heat. This heat caused so many wildfires which lead to the destruction of homes in Texas.

Droughts in Illinois, USA. (1988-1989)

1988-1989 are one of the worst years throughout the history of Illinois. The drought that occurred in Illinois during the summer of 1988 was quite bad, causing more than $10 billion loss. It caused a large number of wildfire in the forests that are situated in the western of North America. So many people loss their lives due to this drought.

HOW TO SURVIVE A DROUGHT

It is not unusual for any part of a country to experience a reduction in rainfall, but if we can find a way to plan for drought, we will surely enjoy a long period of rainy days and also not be caught off guard if a drought is too occur.

BEFORE A DROUGHT

The best way on how to prepare for a drought is by thinks of means on how to conserve water. I will be listing few things most of us won't like to adhere to, but if we do and also see it as a rule for standard living, it would help preserve water and even reduce the chances of a drought occurring.

Indoor water conservation

Do not pour any water down the drain when there might still be need for it. You can still use the water for rinsing of hands to water the plants in your indoor garden.

More than 2,700 gallons of water are lost every year in each house that has a leak. Make sure that you repair the water leaks in your house. You can do that by checking for leaks and then calling a plumber to come and fix those leaks. Insulate your water pipes so as to prevent them from losing heat and also from breaking.

It is more preferable to use a low-volume toilet than to use those older models that consumes water. Also install a toilet displacement device so as to cut down the amount of water needed for flushing. Use the ultra-low-flow version of the showerhead in your bathroom, it can also help conserve water.

The kitchen sink method of food waste disposal requires a lot of water, it is more preferable to dispose them in the trash can.

Outdoor water conservation

Check you well pump to see if it is in good working condition. Plant trees and grasses that are more tolerant to drought than those that require so much water. Also make sure that the irrigation devices that you make use of are water efficient. Also learn how to use retain the water in the soil by mulching. Mulching is a good practice, it helps to control weeds that compete with the main plants for water.

Please, don't purchase recreational water toys for the children, especially those that require constant streams of water. And also avoid installing fountains and other ornamental water features unless they make use of re-circulated water. Also store up water whenever it rains.

Make sure that you position the sprinklers such that they sprinkle into the lawn and shrubs and not into paved areas. Also check out them from time to time to make sure that they are I'm good working condition.

Do not over fertilize the land, remember that fertilizers increases plants consumption of water. Install weather based irrigation controller since it would sprinkle water based on the soil moisture, wind, rain and also evaporation rates, sprinkling only when necessary.

DURING A DROUGHT

Right now, you should use water only when extremely necessary. These are ways on how to conserve water during drought, it would help to make the available water to last for a longer period of time.

Indoor water conservation tips

Do not flush the toilet unnecessarily, avoid taking baths, rather, take short showers and only turn on the water to get wet, lather and lastly to rinse off the lather. Another idea is to keep a bucket in the shower to catch unavoidable excess water so as to use it to water your plant. Do not keep the water running while you brush your teeth, switch on. the top only when you want to make use of the water in the tap.

Avoid letting the water run while brushing your teeth, washing your face or shaving.

Instead of using dishwashers to wash plates during this period, you can wash the dishes by yourself by pouring a bit of water on a bowl, and also rinsing them in a water already placed in another bowl. This way, you will wash a lot of plates with only little amount of water. Instead of using running water to clean vegetables, you can still wash them by rinsing it in a pan already filled with water. Do not use running water to defrost frozen foods, it is more preferable to bring them out of the frifmdge and allow them to defrost overnight.

Since washing machines consume a lot of water, you might really consider washing your clothes once in a while with your hand during the drought period, remember you will be doing the world quite a favor by doing that.

Outdoor water conservation tips

There are some commercial car wash that recycle water. It is advisable to patronize them. If you decide to wash your car yourself, use a shut-off nozzle that can be adjusted so as to give a fine spray on your hose.

Water the lawn only when necessary. lawns need only an inch of water each week. You can check the moisture level of the soil before watering, with a soil probe, a spade or even a large screwdriver. Also, if you are to water the lawn, do so early in the morning when the temperature is a bit cooler. Make sure that the sprinklers are adjusted such that they only water the lawn, when you are done using them, switch it off.

pixabay.com: switch off the sprinklers after use

Finally, in case a severe drought occurs, the best thing to do is to allow the lawn to die in favour of food producing trees and shrubs, so as to reduce the competition, except you prefer eating grasses and flowers.

AFTER A DROUGHT

It is wise to still maintain all these habitats you learnt during drought, after all what have man really achievedby wasting resources.

MY THOUGHTS

As I made mention earlier, even though I have not officially experienced drought, I have experienced something that has a bit resemblance to drought. That was when there was no water in the whole campus due to strike. If what we saw then was terrible, you can only imagine how deadly the main drought will be.

Even as we strive to prevent drought, we have to provide solutions that we will use to combat drought if it ever occurs. The best way for man to prepare ahead for a future drought is to have water stored up in dams and reservoirs so that they would act as an additional supply of water during periods of low supply. Storing up this water won't really be a waste since we can still use this water we stored up to generate electricity while waiting for drought to occur.

Another way is for man to find a way on how to utilize sea water. Normally, sea waters are always salt, and due to its salty nature, it is not even suitable for drinking, cooking, washing of clothes or even irrigating of plants (since salt water affects the growth of plants). Currently a way for desalination of sea water have been discovered. (Desalination of sea water simply means the removal of the sat in the sea water so as to make it consumable). If sea water is desalted, we will have more water to bank on. Also, we can also use it as a supplement for rainfall to irrigate plant, thus increasing the amount of food in that area.

There is one more way and also will be a final solution for drought if it is actualized. That process is cloud seeding. Though this process have not been put into practice, the general idea of cloud seeding is to intentionally modify the weather in such a way as to artificially induce rainfall. If man can finally actualize this dream, well, I need not tell you that it will be the last time we shall ever talk about drought.

REFERENCES

Types of drought

Effects of drought

Drought Wpedia

Causes of drought

How to survive a drought

Cloud seeding

Worst drought disasters

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