Drought: Consequences

Drought can easily be considered the most persistent and insidious of the disasters that Nature conjures. It can last longer and extend across larger zones than hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes. At its severest state, drought creates vast, windblown dust bowls—eroding the landscape (i.e. stripping the land of its necessary nutrients and protective grasses), damaging terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitat, contributing to widespread wildfire, causing potential billions of dollars in losses, and destroying lifetimes of dreams and livelihoods.

Economical Consequences

In many cases, drought is the last straw in driving ranch families off their land and cattle producers out of business. It introduces destitution to water-dependent enterprises such as commercial fishing, river guides, landscapers, golf courses, and water based theme parks. In several smaller communities, regressions in farming, ranching, and recreation have a spillover effect of sorts, causing substantial loss of income for seed and implement retailers, recreation equipment suppliers, and core businesses--from grocery stores to clothing stores, service providers, restaurants, and banks. This ultimately causes revenue shortfalls for local governments, thus inhibiting their continued progress and development.

Municipal Consequences

Drought can have devastating psychological and societal impacts on the lives of migrant agricultural workers and people employed in seasonal or recreation-dependent jobs. Drought can lead to tough decisions regarding allocation of water and result in stringent water-use limitations. Certain municipalities, having hypothetically built an internal superior attitude unto another nearby city could realistically limit that region’s access to water. Thus, drought can cause intra-national conflict in terms of who gets, how much and what type of water. Additionally, drought causes problems in the ensuring of safe drinking water in addition to supplies for municipal fire-fighting efforts and for the dilution of wastewater byproducts.

Sources Consulted

Sources

  • Whitmore, Joan S. Drought Management of Farmland. Springer, 2000.
  • Wilhite, Donalad A. Drought Assessment, Management, and Planning. Springer, 1993