DROUGHT: All You Need To Know

What is Drought?
Drought is a very complex part of our climate. While it is relatively easy to define
what a hurricane or earthquake is, defining a drought is more subjective. Droughts do
not have the immediate effects of floods, but sustained droughts can cause economic
stress throughout an area. The word "drought" has various meanings, depending on a
person's perspective. To a farmer, a drought is a period of moisture deficiency that
affects the crops under cultivation—even two weeks without rainfall can stress many
crops during certain periods of the growing cycle. To a meteorologist, a drought is a
prolonged period when precipitation is less than normal. To a water manager, a drought
is a deficiency in water supply that affects water availability and water quality. To
a hydrologist, a drought is an extended period of decreased precipitation and
streamflow.

Purpose of this Study:

Drought do not have an immediate effect, so people tend to forgot how
dangerous drought could be. That’s why it is very important for people to know the risk
and danger that the drought could cause. Drought is caused by a long term condition
where it is drier than normal and it could lead to a water supply problems. Without rain,
it could damage crops, soil and could also dry up the river. So it is very important for all
of us to know the effects and danger that a drought could cause so that the society can
work together and take measurements to make drought less harmful to society.

Causes and Effects of Drought:

A drought is caused by drier than normal conditions that can eventually lead to
water supply problems. Really hot temperatures can make a drought worse by
evaporating moisture from the soil. A drought is a period of time when an area or region
experiences below-normal precipitation. The lack of adequate precipitation, either rain
or snow, can cause reduced soil moisture or groundwater, diminished stream flow, crop
damage, and a general water shortage. When little or no rain falls, soils can dry out and
plants can die. When rainfall is less than normal for several weeks, months, or years,
the flow of streams and rivers declines, water levels in lakes and reservoirs fall, and the
depth to water in wells increases. Drought can be also harmful to humans, because of
too much heat that can cause stroke. If dry weather persists and water-supply problems
develop, the dry period can become a drought (Moreland, 1993).
Conclusion:
Drought can be so devastating especially in long term condition, it might not have
an immediate effect but still people should not just ignore it. Drought can cause
economic losses, conflicts when there is not enough water, reduced incomes, damage
crops, higher incidents of heat stroke, and even loss of human life. To lessen the effect
of this situation, people need to be aware of their surroundings, have some supply of
water just in case, and listen to radio or watch television for the news update. Drought
cannot be stopped but we can prevent it from causing further damage by being
prepared.

References:
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/droughts-things-
know?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/drought/
https://scijinks.gov/what-causes-a-drought/#:~:text=The%20Short%20Answer
%3A,evaporating%20moisture%20from%20the%20soil.&text=A%20drought
%20is%20a%20prolonged,snow%20in%20a%20particular%20region.