ABSTRACT

Droughts are one of the top three threats to the world population (along with famine and flooding). Drought is a complex phenomenon that is difficult to accurately describe because it is both spatially variant and context dependent. Although many definitions of drought exist, the central theme in the documented literature on drought is water deficiency. Drought primarily affects the agriculture, transportation, recreation and tourism, forestry, and energy sectors. Droughts are characterized by dry, cracked soils on riverbeds and lakes, dust, and parched plants and thirsty animals. Damage from droughts can exceed that resulting from any other natural hazard. All parts of our environment and our communities are affected by drought. The many different drought impacts can be grouped under economic, environmental, and social impacts. All of these impacts must be considered in planning corresponding to particular drought conditions.

76Meteorological drought is usually defined by the measure of the departure of precipitation from the normal and the duration of the dry period. Agricultural definitions refer to situations in which the moisture in the soil is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the crops growing in the area. Hydrological drought deals with surface and subsurface water supplies (such as stream flow, reservoir/lake levels, and groundwater). A socioeconomic drought occurs when economic goods associated with the elements of meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological drought fail to meet the demand.

Adaptation is adjustment to new or expected climatic conditions (and associated impacts) in order to minimize the damage that they cause or to exploit new opportunities that they bring. Adaptation takes place in both human and natural systems. It can be reactive and anticipatory, private and public, and planned and autonomous. Examples of adaptation to drought include farming different types of crops, harnessing water for irrigation, and migrating from rural to urban areas.