Drought is an insidious disaster. It has a slow onset, and can occur anywhere in the world. While it may seem like just an inconvenience, droughts can have a serious impact on our health and environment. In fact, an estimated 55 million people around the globe are affected by droughts each year, and water scarcity is expected to impact 40% of the world’s population by 2030. Let’s take a closer look at the dangers of drought and why we need to pay attention.
The Impact on Health
Drought has a huge impact on health. When there is no water available, hygiene becomes much more difficult or even impossible for those affected. The lack of access to clean drinking water can lead to dehydration, diarrheal diseases, cholera, and other illnesses that can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Additionally, heat waves associated with droughts puts people at risk for heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses. This is especially true for vulnerable populations such as young children and the elderly who are more likely to suffer from these types of illnesses during periods of extreme heat due to dehydration or exhaustion from labor-intensive activities such as farming or herding livestock in hot conditions.
The Impact on Agriculture
Drought also has serious implications for agriculture. When precipitation levels remain low for extended periods of time crops fail leading to famine in some cases. Livestock face similar issues when there is no water available for them to drink or graze upon making them vulnerable to disease or death from starvation or dehydration. This creates an additional burden on rural communities that rely heavily on agricultural production for their livelihoods as well as food security within these areas since there will be less food available for purchase locally if crops fail due to drought conditions.
The Impact on Migration
Finally, drought can lead to mass migration as people search for better living conditions elsewhere or flee poverty brought about by crop failure or lack of employment opportunities due to decreased economic activity during periods of drought in their home countries. This type of migration can cause political instability in areas already facing economic hardship and create humanitarian crises where resources are already stretched thin due to existing conflict or natural disasters occurring simultaneously with the affecting drought conditions may exacerbate existing problems further exacerbating humanitarian needs in affected areas such as access to healthcare, food security, education etc…
Drought is a real problem facing millions around the world every year – one that does not get nearly enough attention nor resources devoted towards its solution despite its devastating effects both on individuals and economies alike. We must pay attention now before it’s too late and invest in research into mitigation strategies that could help prevent future droughts from occurring so that we are better prepared when they do occur again in order protect those most vulnerable among us from devastating impacts this disaster brings with it!