Droughts occur when there is an absence or greatly decreased supply of water due to lack of rain resulting in low water supplies in streams, reservoirs, and groundwater levels. Available water for personal use and for agricultural irrigation can be greatly reduced or even absent.
Climatologists have defined four types of droughts. Meteorological droughts occur when there is lack of rain due to dry weather patterns. Hydrological droughts occur when low water supplies are evident in streams, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater sources. Agricultural droughts occur when the lack of water causes crop failures, and socioeconomic droughts occur when decreased crop and other commodities production affects the economy.
A summary of the history of droughts throughout the ages reveals how devastating they can be. Throughout history, droughts have caused famines resulting in miserable living conditions, malnutrition-related diseases and millions of deaths over prolonged periods of time. As opposed to most other natural disasters that occur briefly (tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.), droughts and related famines have a more insidious onset and may last for many years.
China has experienced great famines over the years. A drought in northern China from 1876-1879 resulted in between 9.5 and 13 million deaths. Another drought from 1928-1930 resulted in an estimated 3 million deaths. One of the worst drought-related famines occurred in China in 1941, resulting in the death of three million people. In India, the Deccan famine of 1630-1632, due to three consecutive crop failures, killed an estimated two million people.
North Korea has experienced severe droughts resulting in chronic food shortages and poverty. A combination of droughts and severe flooding over a three-year period led to a severe famine in the mid 1990s with an estimated one million deaths. The current prolonged drought is reportedly the worst in over a decade with some areas reporting no rain for 70 days. Severe food shortages are predicted.
A severe drought in East Africa from 2010-2012 affected more than 13 million people. Somalia was the hardest hit country with estimates as high as 260,000 deaths from starvation, malnutrition, dehydration and infectious diseases. Conditions eased in 2012, but now (2014) aid agencies are warning of a new drought. The United Nations predicts three million people are currently at risk.
A decade-long drought in the Western United States persists today and is severely affecting agricultural production in that area. In May 2014, The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified the public of much higher retail prices for beef, pork and veal due to these drought conditions. The agency warned that the catastrophic conditions in California could have “large and lasting effects on U.S. fruit, vegetable and egg prices.” The agency also noted worsening drought conditions in Texas and Oklahoma that may further affect agricultural commodities.
