By martin.hilljegerdes |
Droughts are one of the most feared natural phenomena in the world; they devastate farmland, destroy livelihoods and take a toll on sustainability. They occur when an area experiences a shortage of water supply from a lack of rainfall, surface or groundwater. Droughts can last for weeks, months or years, and put livelihoods and ecosystems at risk and, in extreme cases, can trigger famine, displacement and conflict. Sixty per cent of all deaths caused by extreme weather events are caused by droughts, even though they represent only 15 per cent of natural disasters. Between 1998 and 2017, droughts caused US$ 124 billion in economic losses globally.
