Drought: Necessary Government Response

A government’s primary responsibility in the situation of a drought is to immediately provide for water and food for its people, whether synthetic or through natural means.

The National Drought Policy Commission Executive Summary authored in conjunction with the United Nations states that governments either have the option of shipping vast amounts of food to citizens on a local scale or expediting the development of natural food and water like man-made lakes, externally bred cattle, poultry etc. In some instances, afflicted countries will not be able to directly incur the costs involved with transporting food and water and the United Nations or adjacent, developed countries must for mutual vitality loan or share the costs.  In these instances, national governments would be forced to work alongside local and regional governments to ensure all afflicted individuals’ needs were wholly met and their livelihoods were protected. With these two things ensured, then government officials would be able to advance to further issues. Additionally, to better respond to the issue, governments should immediately develop some sort of task force whose sole goal is the solving of the drought problem (as much as can be solved for). Empirically proved through success in the United States, Great Britain and Canada, task forces more efficiently address unitary goals. In case a drought occurred, a “Drought Committee” could be assembled, with a mandated budget and protocols while the other arms of the national government engaged in diplomatic proceedings and other domestic and foreign policy related matters.

In terms of dispersal of acquired products like food and water to afflicted individuals, this task force must conquer the primary problem of covering a large amount of ground in a limited amount of time. The most effective vehicle that achieves this stipulation is an airborne vehicle like a cargo plane, with a large storage hold. In such a place, secured containers of water bottles and preserved food could be packaged in boxes of sorts and dropped to the ground in a humanitarian mission fashion. While a different set of circumstances, such a situation would clearly resemble the US dropping of resources to West Berlin following the Soviet blockade and the dropping of food and water to Afghani civilians following the US invasion in 2001. Should a country not possess such machinery, if a member state of the United Nations, it would be amply provided joint custody of necessary transport vehicles for the time being.

The next goal of a government in a drought situation should be to establish water availability in the inner, drought afflicted regions of its country. Mechanisms like pumps, deep wells and water pipelines from reliable sources are essential for providing resources to individuals unable to leave their homes due to insufficient funds and a vested interest in the land. Although costly to some degree, government should quickly establish water channels (as did the Romans with their aqueducts) so as to provide afflicted regions with water from well-equipped urban centers. Enough water should be transplanted to meet the theoretical needs of the remaining people in each drought-affected township.

Another important, but often overlooked component of drought response is care for citizens who flee their drought affected homes for safer, urban centers. This necessitates identification of all individuals entering cities seeking refuge from droughts. After it is announced that a drought has occurred and people begin packing to leave, government officials must be stationed at city peripheries documenting incoming migrants, with information like name, government identification, passport information or mobile number (if available). This creates a situation where government funds can be allocated to provide basic needs for displaced citizens. These funds can include, but not be limited to providing for costs associated with moving back into evacuated regions.

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