Table of Contents

1. Mapping..........................................................................................................................1
2. Introduction..................................................................................................................1
3. How can droughts be triggered by physical conditions and human
activities?...............................................................................................................................2
Physical Conditions.........................................................................................................2
Human Activities..............................................................................................................3
4. Negative Impact of droughts on:..........................................................................3
The Economy of South Africa..........................................................................................3
The Farmers of South Africa........................................................................................4
5. Drought prevention and drought preparation strategies............................4
6. Relationship between Climate change and the regularity of droughts.. 4
7. Conclusion......................................................................................................................6
8. Bibliography..................................................................................................................6
 1. Mapping

2. Introduction

Droughts, the silent disasters of nature, wield immense power to disrupt

ecosystems, economies, and societies. Characterized by prolonged periods of
abnormally low precipitation, droughts can manifest in various forms, each with its
own unique impacts and challenges. Understanding the different types of droughts is
crucial for devising effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. From
meteorological droughts, which focus on deficient rainfall, to hydrological droughts,
which impact water availability, and agricultural droughts, which affect crop
productivity, each type presents distinct risks and complexities. Moreover,
socioeconomic droughts delve into the societal repercussions of water scarcity,
underscoring the interconnectedness between environmental and human systems.
By exploring these diverse manifestations, we can better comprehend the
multifaceted nature of drought and work towards building resilience in the face of its
looming threats.

Meteorological drought occurs when there is a prolonged period of significantly

below-average precipitation. It's essentially a deficit of rainfall over an extended
period that can lead to soil moisture depletion and decreased water availability.
Meteorological droughts are often the initial stage of other types of droughts.

Hydrological drought is characterized by reduced water availability in streams, rivers,

lakes, and groundwater reservoirs. It occurs when precipitation deficits persist and
affect the overall water balance in hydrological systems. Hydrological droughts can
lead to lowered water levels, reduced streamflow, and depletion of water resources,
impacting ecosystems, agriculture, and water supply systems.

Agricultural drought refers to a situation where soil moisture deficits and water
shortages adversely affect crop growth and productivity. It occurs when there's
insufficient moisture in the soil for crops to thrive, leading to yield losses, reduced
crop quality, and sometimes complete crop failures. Agricultural droughts can have
severe consequences on food security, rural livelihoods, and economies dependent
on agriculture.

Socioeconomic drought focuses on the impact of water scarcity on human societies

and economies. It goes beyond just the physical aspects of drought and
encompasses the social, economic, and institutional factors that influence
vulnerability and resilience to water shortages. Socioeconomic droughts can lead to
water conflicts, food shortages, loss of livelihoods, increased poverty, and migration.
During the abovementioned drought types, the demand and supply of some
economic goods such as water, hydro-electricity and some main grain crops such as
maize and rice may be reduced. Socioeconomic droughts may cause the demand for
economic goods to exceed their supply; this might be caused by weather-related
shortage in water supply.

3. How can droughts be triggered by physical conditions and human

activities?

Physical Conditions

Natural climate variability, such as El Niño and La Niña events, can influence
precipitation patterns, leading to periods of drought or excessive rainfall. These
large-scale climate phenomena can disrupt typical weather patterns, causing
prolonged periods of dry conditions in some regions while bringing excessive rainfall
to others. Elevated temperatures can increase evaporation rates and water demand,
exacerbating drought conditions by drying out soils and vegetation more quickly.
Heatwaves can intensify drought impacts by accelerating soil moisture depletion,
reducing water availability, and stressing ecosystems and agriculture. The most
common trigger for drought is a prolonged period of below-average precipitation.
When rainfall is insufficient to replenish water sources, soil moisture levels decrease,
water bodies shrink, and water availability for ecosystems and human activities
diminishes, leading to drought conditions.

Human Activities

Clearing forests for agriculture, urbanization, or infrastructure development can

disrupt local and regional water cycles, reducing transpiration and altering
precipitation patterns. Deforestation decreases vegetation cover, which can lead to
increased runoff, soil erosion, and reduced water infiltration, exacerbating drought
conditions in affected areas. Poor water management practices, such as over-
extraction of groundwater, inefficient irrigation techniques, and inadequate water
storage infrastructure, can exacerbate drought impacts. Overuse of water resources
can deplete aquifers, lower water tables, and reduce streamflow, making regions
more vulnerable to drought. Rapid urbanization can increase the demand for water
for domestic, industrial, and municipal purposes, putting pressure on local water
supplies. Urban areas often have extensive impervious surfaces that reduce water
infiltration and increase surface runoff, leading to reduced groundwater recharge and
exacerbating drought conditions in urbanized regions. While climate change is driven
by physical conditions, human activities, particularly the emission of greenhouse
gases, contribute significantly to its acceleration. Climate change alters precipitation
patterns, increases temperatures, and intensifies extreme weather events, all of
which can exacerbate drought frequency, duration, and severity.

4. Negative Impact of droughts on:

The Economy of South Africa

The current drought is recorded as one of the worst to ever hit South Africa, and its
effects on the country’s economy have been severe, pushing food prices up due to
crippled key crops, like maize– the country’s staple food.

Climate scientists say the cause of the drought, that has not only crippled South
Africa but countries across Southern Africa, is one of the strongest El Nino events
ever recorded. In the eastern and central regions of the country the drought has
reduced maize and sugar produce and may result in water shortages for households
and businesses. According to a government report, water demand may outstrip
supply by 2025 – currently South Africa is said to be the 30thdriest nation on earth.

Despite increased rainfalls in May, the country is still suffering the effects of the
ongoing drought that is causing more maize shortages because of crop failures, the
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have said.

The head economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber, said the 2015 to 2016
maize import volumes showed the severity of the drought’s effects on the farming
community, but more so for the entire South African economy.

The impact of the drought in South Africa has been most strongly felt in increased
food prices. For example, the prices of meat and poultry, which are popular protein
sources, are quite high, making it difficult for low-income households to purchase
them. The government has resorted to importing food and poultry to augment local
food production. Areas in the Free State and North West provinces of South Africa
that are known for corn farming are currently unable to grow enough corn due to
the drought. In response, the government has declared about five provinces in the
country to be disaster areas.

The Farmers of South Africa

5. Drought prevention and drought preparation strategies.

The primary responsibility for managing agricultural drought reset.

6. Relationship between Climate change and the regularity of

droughts.

Warmer temperatures enhance evaporation, which reduces surface water and dries
out soils and vegetation. This makes periods with low precipitation drier than they
would be in cooler conditions.
Climate change is also altering the timing of water availability. Warmer winter
temperatures are causing less precipitation to fall as snow in the Western, including
in key regions like the Sierra Nevada of California.

Decreased snowpack can be a problem, even if the total annual precipitation

remains the same. This is because many water management systems rely on spring
snowpack melt. Likewise, certain ecosystems also depend on snowmelt, which
supplies cold water for species like salmon. Because snow acts as a reflective
surface, decreasing snow area also increases surface temperatures, further
exacerbating drought.

Some climate models find that warming increases precipitation variability, meaning
there will be more periods of both extreme precipitation and drought. This creates
the need for expanded water storage during drought years and increased risk of
flooding and dam failure during periods of extreme precipitation. Climate change is
making certain regions drier: For example, the Southwestern United States has
already seen a decrease in annual precipitation since the beginning of the
20th century, and that trend is expected to continue.

Estimates of future changes in seasonal or annual precipitation in a particular

location are less certain than estimates of future warming and are active areas of
research. However, at the global scale, scientists are confident that relatively wet
places, such as the tropics and higher latitudes, will get wetter, while relatively dry
places in the subtropics (where most of the world’s deserts are located) will become
drier.

high-pressuring persist through a vicious cycle, in which very dry soils and
diminished plant cover absorb more solar radiation and heat up, encouraging the
formation of high pressure systems that further suppress rainfall, leading an already
dry area to become even drier. Droughts also increase the amount of carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere, including by decreasing land productivity, which reduces the
amount of vegetation storing carbon dioxide. In addition, increases in drought-
related wildfire and soil erosion can release carbon dioxide sequestered in trees and
plants back into the atmosphere.
 7. Conclusion

Policy and practice of drought management in South Africa has evolved over the
past decades from a more reactive crisis-relief response strategy to a more proactive
approach advocating self reliance in managing drought as an inherent climate risk
and integral part of a long-term planning and decision-making process. Nevertheless,
current effort to manage both HD and AD risk in the country remain highly reliant on
more regulatory command and control measures, making little use of economic
policy instruments that promote voluntary adoption of more sustainable farming, and
water and land resources conservation practices. Economic policy instruments hold
the potential of altering the economic incentives in favour of desirable practice that
promotes self-reliance and voluntary adaptation measures to enhance the long-term
adaptive capacity and resilience of natural and social system vulnerable to droughts
in South Africa. This proposes subsides schemes and credits rebates to encourage
adoption of water and land use methods that are less water intensive and more
suited for drought conditions. Major efforts are needed to design more effective
drought -risk insurance schemes that will provide better access for emerging small
farmers.

8. Bibliography
 Barker, L. J., (2016): From Meteorological to Hydrological Drought Using
Standardised Indicators. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 2483–2505.
 Chiverton, A., Svensson, C. (2005) ; Drought Monitoring and Advisory in
South Africa, 58.
 Gharun, M. (2007); Drought in Groundwater - Drought Distribution and
Performance, 256-267.
 Indicators. J. (2018) First Assessment of the Impact of the Extreme 2018
Summer Drought on Central European Forests. Basic Appl. Ecol. 306, 302–
317.
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