Natural Hazards: Causes and Effects - Disaster Management Center ...

Chapter 7
Drought
Introduction
Drought has long been recognized as one of the most insidious causes of human misery. It has
today the unfortunate distinction of being the natural disaster that annually claims the most
victims. Its ability to cause widespread misery is actually increasing.
While generally associated with semiarid climates, drought can occur in areas that normally
enjoy adequate rainfall and moisture levels. In the broadest sense, any lack of water for the
normal needs of agriculture, livestock, industry, or human population may be termed a drought.
The cause may be lack of supply, contamination of supply, inadequate storage or conveyance
facilities, or abnormal demand. Drought, as commonly understood, is a condition of climatic
dryness that is severe enough to reduce soil moisture and water below the minimums
necessary for sustaining plant, animal, and human life. Drought is usually accompanied by hot,
dry winds and may be followed by damaging floods. 1 More socially relevant than technically
correct is the definition used by Ari Toubo Eibrahim, the minister of agriculture in Niger, who has
said that a drought is “Not as much water as the people need.” 2
Historical Examples
Chad, 1970s
Chad, the largest landlocked country of the African Sahel region, suffered greatly from the
prolonged drought of the 1970s. Based on a 60 percent reduction in cereal grain output and 50
percent loss in the livestock herd, the dollar damage was assessed at more than U.S. $84
million. Because of inadequate data, the actual number of starvation victims and displaced
persons is unknown. However, it is estimated that more than 900,000 people were severely
affected by the drought.
Contributing to the problems created by the drought, the growing populations of humans and
livestock put excessive pressure on the already barren land. This led to overgrazing,
continuous cropping, and lowering of the groundwater table. Thus, the sharply lower rainfall of
1972 and 1973 served to increase a degenerative process that was already underway.
While attention has been focused on the magnitude of human suffering, the drought’s impact on
the economy has been equally profound. In real terms, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of
Chad was down nine percent in 1973, the worst year of the drought. The loss in real economic
growth was a devastating setback for Chad; its 1975 per capita Gross National Product (GNP)
of $120 ranked Chad as one of the lowest income countries in the world.
One of the greatest effects of the drought was on livestock production, an important source of
income, employment, and exports in Chad. The national herd of 4.7 million cattle, goats, and
sheep was reduced by one half, and the remaining animals suffered from malnutrition and
disease. Because of the importance livestock played as a foreign exchange earner, the losses
had a severe impact on the budgetary and balance of payments situations.