The impact of drought in South Africa

Different types of droughts.

South Africa has a mixed bag of weather conditions
which can vary from snow in the inner mountainous
parts of the country in places to extreme heat in the
more coastal and South Eastern part . These conditions
allow for a drought to happen in South Africa . This is
also the reason why South Africa experiences 3
different types of droughts simultaneously , the
meteorological, agricultural and socioeconomical.
Meteorological droughts happen when there less
rainfall then normal. This could be due to increased
weather temperatures or a decrease in humidity.
Agricultural drought are considered to occur when a
lack of rainfall leads to a decline in soil moisture
effecting pastures and rain-red crops.This can lead to
poverty and lack of food. Socioeconomical drought
occurs when there is a greater demand for water then
there is to supply. This can lead to a shortage or
essentially a drought.

How are droughts triggered?

Droughts can be triggered by many causes but in most
cases it is because of lack of rainfall , high demand –
little supply or high temperatures/climate change. If
these type of conditions are persistent then the land
will be dryer therefore leaving the area in drought.
Natural conditions
This refers to things like climate change. Climate
change refers to long shifts in temperature and
weather patterns. With this in hand drought can be
persistent as there would be no rainfall due to extreme
heat conditions which make it unable to rain.

Human conditions.
This refers to high demand and low supply. 54% of
South Africa has access to clean drinking tap water.
Therefore during the winter or summer months when
weather patterns drastically change water demand will
be high as water is for many essentials during theses
seasons. Another reason could be leaking pipes and
taps. Many humans are careless and would leave their
taps running or not call a plumber to fix their leaking
pipes. This could essentially also lead to drought.

The negative impact is of drought on:

The economy and farmers of South Africa
When there is drought in a country it can lead to many
consequences such as food shortages, food price hikes
for essentials such as bread and war due to these hikes
in basic needs of life. This tragically destroys Sourh
Africas economy as many people are left feeling the
burden of having little to no food. It also effects the
economy as many industries use water to operate and
when there is drought they cannot operate therefore
making the economy lose money and become weak.

Drought has a negative impact on farmers as once

farmers are affected it’s affects everyone. Farmers
need water for their crops and livestock to grow and
for them to sell them. When there is drought the
farmers and only produce a fraction of what they
normally could. Prices of these products will be hiked
due to the government having to import from other
countries with hefty tariffs.

How to prevent drought and preparation strategies.

Drought can be prevented by reducing our Carbon
Dioxide emissions levels . We as South Africa’s can
start by doing the smallest things by closing the taps
whilst brushing our teeth , taking short showers
instead of taking a bath , reuse bath and dishwashing
water for watering plants . These little things and can
go a very long way. The South African government can
prepare for drought by making sure that there is
backup water that can be used at a specific time. Even
though some areas won’t have water this will be a
good start during a drought. The government can also
build more dams during the non rainy seasons for
there to be enough water for the country to be
drought less.