Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Course on Coping with Drought

About Drought

After completing this Lesson, you have learned to answer:

1. What are the water issues that impact our society during drought period?

2. What are the food issues that impact our society during drought period?

3. What are the health issues that impact our society during drought period?

4. What type of conflicts arise in a society because of severe drought?

Lesson 6: How drought impacts our society?

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Course on Coping with Drought

About Drought

• Decreased availability of quality drinking water;• Institutional restraints on water use;• Increased conflicts on water use; • Cost of water transport or transfer;• Cost of new or supplemental water resources; • Reduced availability of food and food products;• Food shortages;• Increased expenses towards food;• Increased poverty in general.

Lesson 6: How drought impacts our society?

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Course on Coping with Drought

About Drought

• Reduced quality of life, changes in lifestyle in rural areas and in specific urban areas;• Reduction in nutrition;• Health related problems; • Mental and physical stress (e.g., anxiety, depression, loss of security, domestic violence);• Loss of human life;• Higher unemployment rates;• Migration of people from rural to urban areas.

Lesson 6: How drought impacts our society?

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Course on Coping with Drought

About Drought

Lesson 6: How drought impacts our society?

• Political conflicts;

• Public dissatisfaction with government drought response;

• Perceptions of inequity in relief, possibly related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity etc.

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Course on Coping with Drought

About Drought

With this, the Lesson 6 on impact of drought on our society concludes.

If you would like to check your understanding of the impact of drought on our society, click “Exercise” button.

The last Lesson in this Module is on the comparison of drought with other natural disasters.

Click “Lessons” button to select Lesson 7

Exercise

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Course on Coping with Drought

Impacts of Drought

Lessons