Drought is a subtle, insidious 

natural hazard that is a normal part of the climate of virtually all

Drought is a natural hazard, it has a slow onset, and it evolves over months regions of the
or even years. It may affect a large region and causes little structural damage. world. Its
The impacts of drought can be reduced through preparedness and mitigation. occurrence
results in a
The components of a drought preparedness and mitigation plan are the
myriad of
following:
economic, social,

 Prediction and

 Monitoring environmental

 Impact assessment impacts in

 Response. developed as
well as
Prediction can benefit from climate studies which use coupled developing
ocean/atmosphere models, survey of snow packs, anomalous circulation nations, although
patterns in the ocean and atmosphere, soil moisture, assimilation of remotely the
sensed data into numerical prediction models, and knowledge of stored water characteristics of
available for domestic, stock, and irrigation uses. its impacts differ
considerably
Monitoring exists in countries which use ground-based information such as
between the two
rainfall, weather, crop conditions and water availability. Satellite
settings.
observations complement data collected by ground systems. Satellites are
necessary for the provision of synoptic, wide-area coverage.

Impact assessment is carried out on the basis of land-use type, persistence of

stressed conditions, demographics and existing infrastructure, intensity and
areal extent, and its effect on agricultural yield, public health, water quantity
and quality, and building subsidence.

Response includes improved drought monitoring, better water and crop

management, augmentation of water supplies with groundwater, increased
public awareness and education, intensified watershed and local planning,
reduction in water demand, and water conservation.

Drought preparedness and mitigation can be accomplished with the following

practices: (1) soil and water conservation, and (2) herd management.
Traditional management methods of drought

Many of the management alternatives available to water suppliers to prepare for and respond to
drought events fall into two broad categories: demand management and supply augmentation.

Emergency conservation programs

The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) helps farmers and ranchers to repair
damage to farmlands caused by natural disasters and to help put in place methods
for water conservation during severe drought. The ECP does this by giving ranchers
and farmers funding and assistance to repair the damaged farmland or to install
methods for water

Water service restrictions

Restrictions and prohibitions are a part of command & control tools which are regulatory
instruments that are direct and mandatory. Restrictions, rationing or full prohibitions are legal
prescriptions that have a direct impact on the range of options open to specified social actors, as
they constrain certain ways of acting or exclude some forms of conduct. Public authorities or
independent regulatory agencies establish restrictions and bans which, in the case of restrictions
in water use, water and land users as well as water service providers are obliged to follow
Restrictions on nonessential uses of water

Good utilization of water is suggested and encouraged, but it is not regulated.  However, leak
repair/prevention as well as prevention of water waste is required

Soil and Water Conservation

Conservation practices minimize the disruption of the soil's structure, composition and natural
biodiversity, thereby reducing erosion and soil degradation, surface runoff, and water pollution.
The following are established practices of soil and water conservation:

 Crop rotation
 Contoured rowcrops
 Terracing
 Tillage practices
 Erosion-control structures
 Water retention and detention structures
 Windbreaks and shelterbelts
 Litter management
 Reclamation of salt-affected soil.

Soil and water conservation can be approached through agronomic and engineering measures.
Agronomic measures include contour farming, off-season tillage, deep tillage, mulching and
providing vegetative barriers on the contour. These measures prevent soil erosion and increase
soil moisture.

Engineering measures differ with location, slope of the land, soil type, and amount and intensity
of rainfall. Measures commonly used are the following:

 Contour bunds, trenches and stone walls

 These features prevent soil erosion and obstruct the flow of runoff. The retained water
increases soil moisture and recharges the groundwater.

 Check dams and other gully-plugging structures

Check dams are temporary structures constructed with locally available materials. Types
of check dams are the brush-wood dam (Fig. 2 a), the loose-rock dam (Fig. 2 b) and the
woven-wire dam.

 Percolation ponds

These features store water for livestock and recharge the groundwater. They are constructed by
excavating a depression to form a small reservoir, or by constructing an embankment in a natural
ravine or gully to form an impoundment.

Water-supply projects can also be implemented for drought mitigation, with a view to strengthen
drought preparedness. Activities such as water-use planning, rain-water harvesting, runoff
collection using surface and underground structures, improved management of channels and
wells, exploration of additional water resources through drilling and dam construction, are
implemented as a part of a drought-mitigation plan.

To increase moisture availability, the following in-situ moisture-conservation practices can

be adopted:

 For agricultural crops, measures include ridges and furrows, basins, and water spreading.
 For tree crops, measures include saucer basins (Fig. 3), semi-circular bunds, crescent-
shaped bunds, catch pits and deep pitting.
 Rainwater harvesting collects rainfall or moisture for immediate or eventual use in
irrigation or domestic supplies. Part of the rainwater collected from roofs can be stored in
a cistern or tank for later use.
 Landscape contouring is used to direct runoff into areas planted with trees, shrubs, and
turf.

Drought emergency pricing

Drought surcharges—Drought surcharges are often used on an emergency and temporary basis to
pay for costs associated with purchasing emergency water supplies during a severe drought or to
support drought restrictions. When drought conditions result in the need to purchase emergency
supplies, a surcharge is a logical and simple way to pass along the additional temporary cost of
acquiring these high-cost water resources to the current users who require the water supply.

Water rationing programs

Water restriction limit certain uses of water for example irrigation of lawns, car washing, filling
swimming pools, or hosing down pavement areas. Restrictions can limit the availability of water
in terms of volume and/or the time when it can be used and its purpose. Water rationing include
usually temporary suspension of water supply, or reduction of pressure below that required for
adequate supply under normal conditions. Rationing is associated with equitable distribution of
critically limited water supplies in a way that ensure sufficient water is delivered to preserve
public health and safety. Water restrictions and, to a lesser extent, rationing are frequently used
especially in situations of temporary water scarcity (e.g. due to drought episodes). Both rationing
and restriction that may be of temporal or permanent character, they allow local or even regional
or national administration to cope with water crises, by reducing consumptions without
substantial changes in the demand and supply ratio.

Herd management

Herd management is an important strategy for drought mitigation. Factors to be considered

include the expected drought duration, the current water and feed supplies, the composition and
body condition of the herd, and the financial resources available.

Herd management practices include the following:

 Reduction in herd numbers

When feed resources are getting short, one solution is to critically evaluate the members
of the herd and eliminate those that are less useful. Sale or agistment (relocating herd to
non-affected pastures) are the two options available to reduce stock numbers.
 Strategic weaning of calves

During a drought, the production of milk rapidly depletes a cow's body reserves, while
the calf derives little benefit. Weaning the calf gives the cow a better chance of survival.
However, the decision to wean must be made in relation to the time of year and age of the
calf. In normal years, the nutritive value of pasture falls towards the end of autumn, at
which time, beef cows may be producing as little as 1 liter of milk per day. If the calf is 5
to 6 months of age, weaning by the end of autumn will maintain or improve the cow's
condition.

In drought years, early weaning is recommended. However, calves should not be weaned
before 3 months of age unless absolutely necessary. Young calves need to be fed some
true protein meal or preferably milk powder. Most calves over three months of age will
survive on grain and Lucerne hay or molasses and protein meal diets.

 Herd segregation

Segregating animals into classes gives the herd a better chance of getting needed feed
supplies. Segregation makes possible the preferential treatment of vulnerable classes. The
older dry cows can be moved to the poorer forage fields. Pregnancy testing is a useful
tool to identify heavily pregnant cows for special feeding, especially young cows that are
pregnant for a second time.

 Parasite control

Cattle under nutritional and other stresses are less resistant to parasites than in normal
conditions. Worms can be a serious problem with young cattle. During drought
conditions, all cattle under 18 months of age should be treated for worms.

 Optimizing use of drought-affected paddock

 Cattle do not graze well areas located far away from watering points. Use of a drought-
affected paddock can be encouraged by providing local water facilities, with
supplementary hand feeding as an attractant.

 Attention to contaminated water supplies

Polluted surface waters represent a death trap for drought-weakened cattle. Fencing may
be necessary to separate cattle from undesirable water holes.

Salinity may increase with the depletion of the water table, with the water becoming too
salty for the herd. The upper limit of total soluble salts should not exceed 8500 ppm. In
addition, the sum of chlorides and sulphates of calcium and magnesium should not
exceed 1400 ppm

Improvements in water systems (for example, leak detection, lining of transmission canals)
the rough the following ways;

 Improve sanitation facilities by providing toilets and latrines that flush into a sewer or
safe enclosure.
 Promote good hygiene habits through education. Proper hand washing with soap and
water can reduce diarrhea cases by up to 35 percent.
 Implement rainwater harvesting systems to collect and store rainwater for drinking or
recharging underground aquifers. Build wells to extract groundwater from underground
aquifers.
 Provide home water-treatment capability through the use of filters, solar disinfection, or
flocculants, to make drinking water safe.
 Promote low-cost solutions, such as chlorine tablets or plastic bottles that can be exposed
to sunlight, to improve water quality.

Emergency sources of water supply (for example, emergency interconnections, drilling new
wells)
Emergency Water can be obtained by buying it outright or retrieving it from
existing water sources such as your water heater. Contaminated water can be made safe to
drink with water purification tablets or a water purifier.

Management of available water resources (for example, emergency water banks,

overdrafting of groundwater aquifers)

Water Resources Management (WRM) is the process of planning, developing, and

managing water resources, in terms of both water quantity and quality, across all water uses. It
includes the institutions, infrastructure, incentives, and information systems that support and
guide water management.

In summary, increased emphasis can and should be placed on drought mitigation and

preparedness, as well as prediction and early warning capabilities, if society is to reduce the
economic and environmental damages associated with drought and its personal hardships. This
will require interdisciplinary cooperation and a collaborative effort with policymakers at all
levels.
References

Riebsame, William E., Stanley A. Changnon Jr., and Thomas R. Karl. Drought and Natural
Resources Management in the United States: Impacts and Implications of the 1987–89
Drought. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1991.

Wilhite, Donald A., ed. Drought: A Global Assessment (Volumes 1 and 2). London,

U.K.:Routledge, 2000.

Wilhite, Donald A., and Michael H. Glantz. "Understanding the Drought Phenomenon: The Role
of Definitions." Water International 10 (1985):111–120.

Wilhite, Donald A., and Olga Vanyarkho. "Drought: Pervasive Impacts of a Creeping
Phenomenon," (Chapter 18). In Drought: A Global Assessment, ed. Donald A. Wilhite. London,
U.K.: Routledge, 2000.

Wilhite, Donald A. et al. "Planning for Drought: Moving from Crisis to Risk
Management." Journal of American Water Resources Association 36 (2000):697–710.