Case Studies - Drought Flashcards
What case study could you use for droughts in Developed Countries?
California, 2013/14.
What case study could you use for droughts for in Developing Countries?
Namibia, 2013.
What were the impacts of drought in Namibia?
The 2013 drought was the worst drought for 30 years.
-1 in 3 people were at risk of malnutrition.
-778,000 Namibians were either severely or moderately food insecure.
-Harvest yielded 42% less than the previous year.
-People left their homes to search for water as there was none left in their villages.
What impact did the drought in Namibia have on the environment?
-Severe drought damaged the savannah severely. It can change an area sustaining livestock to an area of inedible grass and plants where livestock cannot live.
-Large areas of Namibia are changing from savannah to desert due to low precipitation. Only a few plants survive.
What were the responses by people in Namibia during the drought?
Families had to sell their livestock.
People migrated to towns in search of work.
Almost all people in one village left in search of water.
What were the responses by organisations in Namibia during the drought?
UNICEF appealed for 7 million USD to support their efforts to respond to the needs of women.
The international Red Cross and Red Crescent asked for 1.5 million USD.
The Lutheran Church helped, for example by providing basic food assistance to vulnerable communities with no access to governmental distribution points, trying to encourage safety and access to clean water.
What were the responses to the drought in Namibia by the government?
President Pohamba issued a state of emergency and requested 1 million USD in international support to avert a crisis.
They pledged 13 million pounds in relief to the worst-hit households.
The ministry of Agriculture gave farmers two options to farmers who didn’t have enough grazing for animals: either to sell them while in good condition or a subsidy for the cost of transporting their animals to an emergency grazing area.
How many Namibians became food insecure during the drought?
778000
How many Nambians were at risk of malnutrition during the drought?
1/3
What were the effects of the drought in California on people?
People’s usage of water was restricted.
Farmers using a lot of water lost industry.
There was a loss of 17,100 jobs in farming.
5% of the irrigated land in California wasn’t planted.
The Department of Agriculture predicted that fruit and veg would rise by 6% in price.
What were the negative impacts of the drought in California on the environment?
Wildfires became more regular. There were over a dozen in May 2014 near San Diego.
Some rivers and streams closed to fishing, if water levels continued to drop the temperature would increase and the young salmon would not survive.
The earth shrunk due to depleted groundwater reserves.
Between 2008 and 2011, parts of Central Valley subsided more than 60cm.
What was the positive impact of the drought in California?
The dry weather meant a better grape harvest and better tasting wines.
What were the responses by the government to the drought in California?
The state prepared fish rescues to take them from shallower waters to deeper waters. For example, Chinnook Salmon have been taken away from their usual habitat.
Governor Brown issued a state of emergency.
President Barack Obama gave 183 million USD from federal funds.
Govenor Brown signed drought-relief legislation worth 687 million USD. It included 25.3 million USD for housing like farmworkers.
Residents in Santa Clara Valley had to limit watering of lawns to twice a week or face a 500 dollar fine.
The Reclamation and Natural Resources Conservation Service announced they hoped to provide 14 million USD of federal funds to conserve water and improve water management.
What were the responses by organisations to the drought in California?
New mandatory laws forbid restaurants from putting water on the table without it being requested.
Hotels must also ask guests if they will reuse linen and towels to save water.
Advanced forecasting models are being developed by NASA to help with the water shortage.
They are developing new ways to manage and monitor the state’s water resources.
What were the responses by individuals to the drought in California?
Farmers had to pump more water, which costed an extra 453 USD.
People have been asked to use water more sparingly.
Farmers are planting smaller crops because there is not enough water for them to grow.
