Some of the causes include:
- Changing weather patterns manifested through the excessive build up of heat on the earth’s surface.
- Meteorological changes that result in a reduction of rainfall.
- Reduced cloud cover that results in greater evaporation rates.
- Inadequate planning.
- Over-grazing and poor cropping methods that result in reduced water-retention capacity of the soil.
- Improper soil conservation techniques that leads to soil degradation.
- Densely populated lands.
The impacts of drought can be economic, environmental or social. See some of the more common impacts below:
- Lowering of the water table
- Erosion
- Based on its insidious nature, drought response tend to be late and uncoordinated. That leads to crisis management rather than risk management
- Rapid depletion of soil waterÂ
- Loss of biodiversity
- Over-exploitation such as over-grazing and deforestation can lead to desertification Â
- Disruption to the normal workings of society in terms of quality of lifeÂ
- Starvation in some countries
Source: ODPEM