DROUGHTS &
FLOODS
Objective 5: (e) Droughts and Floods – social and economic impact
DROUGHTS
A drought is a climatic condition where insufficient rainfall occurs on an extended
period, which leads to sustained plant growth.
Climate change puts pressure on failing Caribbean water supplies
(26/01/2021)
◦ Drought causes crop yields to decline which
can result in a shortage of planting materials,
e.g. seedlings, cuttings for grafting.
◦ Reduced harvesting can lead to food
shortages.
◦ It is a problem for leisure and tourism sector
as it consumes a large amount of water for
maintaining gulf courses, swimming pools,
etc.
◦ Dry conditions from the drought can create
dangers such as bush fires which can threaten
people’s lives and properties.
Extensive drought in Antigua and Barbuda.
◦ Additionally, the shortage of water makes fires
harder to extinguish.
Responses to Drought
◦ Government may have to borrow money or divert capital from other sectors.
◦ With reduced water supplies, farmers may have to limit the number of animals kept on
farms and water companies may have to spend more money on creating new or additional
supplies.
Example: Desalination plants run on solar energy (In 2013, Ionics Freshwater Ltd began
using a solar grid to power desalination of brackish water in Barbados).
Ionics Freshwater Ltd. Company logo Diagram showing brackish
water
What solutions do we have?
◦ The Gov’t can help by introducing water usage restrictions and
creating tax incentives for people to install more water tanks.
Example:
In Jamaica and Barbados, it has been known for the water
supply to households to be restricted to certain days and at
certain times, and water trucks are sent to the affected areas so
everyone must share the available water.
◦ Individuals can reduce water wastage by reporting any burst
water mains and generally using water responsibly.
FLOODS
Flooding occurs when heavy and continuous rainfall overwhelms the soil of river
systems. Water builds up in places where it is normally dry, which affects homes,
crops and businesses.
Heavy rains brings flash flooding in Grenada.
◦ A flood happens when water is unable to permeate the soil or rises above its surface,
resulting in overflowing river valleys with blocked roads and flooded buildings. They are
usually the result of heavy or persistent rainfall.
◦ Normally, residents are warned to expect flooding along a whole river system during a
storm, but sometimes heavy showers can create floods in a relatively small area, called
localized flooding.
◦ The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), roughly situated along the equator, is a
boundary zone between the north-east trade winds and the south-east trade winds. The
ITCZ can experience heavy downpours lasting days and this may be beyond the capacity
of the drainage systems.
◦ In Guyana, where some coastal areas are below sea level, flooding is possible during
periods of instability at the ITCZ.
Diagram showing location of the ITCZ
◦ A flash flood can happen rapidly when the drainage system is blocked. This may occur
because of illegal dumping in gullies or rivers.
◦ Areas with clay soils (where water does not permeate easily) and steep slopes (where
saturated soil makes it prone to landslides that can endanger lives and property) should be
avoided for settlements. Land use on these slopes should also maintain the vegetation cover,
to aid slope stability.
◦ Rural areas, often with steep slopes, form the source of rivers and these areas are
increasingly being cleared for use by agriculture and settlements.
◦ These forested areas, along with coastal wetlands, soak up a lot of water and their
destruction increases the likelihood of flooding. In paved urban areas, especially, flooding
can occur when storm drains are blocked by littering or are unable to cope with the volume
of water.
◦ A tsunami can cause devastating flooding in coastal regions if an earthquake or volcanic
eruption occurs offshore.
Public schools in Antigua closed due to flooding.
Public schools in Antigua closed due to flooding.
Flooding in St. Vincent
Flooding in Trinidad & Tobago
Social & Economic Impacts of Drought & Flooding
Droughts and floods can both cause major disruptions to local communities.
◦ Agriculture employs many people, and creates food and raw materials for secondary
industries. However, a scarcity of water will reduce the cultivable area, which can cause a
reduction in agricultural workers needed to plant and harvest crops as well as having a
detrimental effect on the income of farmers. Expensive irrigation may be necessary: Water
tankers can be used, but this is only a temporary measure; the construction of water tanks to
collect rainwater is a longer-term solution.
◦ Droughts can have social and health effects, such as poor sanitation, malnutrition and food
contamination.
Cont’d…
◦ Drought can occur over a number of years due to dry weather patterns. On the leeward
side of coastal mountains, in the rain shadow, the effects may be more pronounced.
Islands where large areas of limestone are found, such as Jamaica and Barbados, tend to
have arid areas here.
◦ A lack of rivers and underground water may result in the spread of scrub vegetation in
these areas and make them unsuitable to many forms of agriculture.
Effects of Topical Storm Erika
The end, thank you.
