Drought and Desertification
Drought
A lengthy period of time where there is little to no rainfall. It impacts on the demands of
human activities
Months without rain in a desert region is not drought – low rainfall is normal and does not affect people’s
usual activities
Desertification
Process in which land in semi-arid areas gradually changes into desert. Soil becomes less
fertile and vegetation cover decreases due to poor farming practices
Difference:
Droughts are a natural phenomenon – from lack of rainfall
Desertification is from man made causes – bad farming practices
Regional areas at risk
• Lands bordering the Sahara desert in North Africa – especially the area along the
Southern border – Sahel
- Somalia
- Ethiopia
- Sudan
- Chad
- Niger
- Mali
- Burkino Faso
- Mauritania
• Horn of Africa
• Lands bordering the Namib and Kalahari deserts in southern Africa
, Local areas at risk
Areas to the North and West of the 500mm isohyet
• Lands bordering the Kalahari desert
• Northern Cape
• Karoo and northern parts of Western Cape
• Western parts of North West
• Western parts of Free State
Causes of drought
• Areas receiving less rain than expected due to weather patterns changing
• Global warming:
o Some places will receive less rain in the future than they do today – become
more arid
o Rising temperatures – increased evaporation
o Places where rainfall remains same/decreases – increased loss from
evaporation – drier conditions
o Already dry places – decrease could result in serious water shortages
• Droughts occur during El Niño events
Kinds of droughts
• Meteorological drought – rain received is less than
I
• Hydrological drought – water sources dry up and there is less underground water
Drought
A lengthy period of time where there is little to no rainfall. It impacts on the demands of
human activities
Months without rain in a desert region is not drought – low rainfall is normal and does not affect people’s
usual activities
Desertification
Process in which land in semi-arid areas gradually changes into desert. Soil becomes less
fertile and vegetation cover decreases due to poor farming practices
Difference:
Droughts are a natural phenomenon – from lack of rainfall
Desertification is from man made causes – bad farming practices
Regional areas at risk
• Lands bordering the Sahara desert in North Africa – especially the area along the
Southern border – Sahel
- Somalia
- Ethiopia
- Sudan
- Chad
- Niger
- Mali
- Burkino Faso
- Mauritania
• Horn of Africa
• Lands bordering the Namib and Kalahari deserts in southern Africa
, Local areas at risk
Areas to the North and West of the 500mm isohyet
• Lands bordering the Kalahari desert
• Northern Cape
• Karoo and northern parts of Western Cape
• Western parts of North West
• Western parts of Free State
Causes of drought
• Areas receiving less rain than expected due to weather patterns changing
• Global warming:
o Some places will receive less rain in the future than they do today – become
more arid
o Rising temperatures – increased evaporation
o Places where rainfall remains same/decreases – increased loss from
evaporation – drier conditions
o Already dry places – decrease could result in serious water shortages
• Droughts occur during El Niño events
Kinds of droughts
• Meteorological drought – rain received is less than
I
• Hydrological drought – water sources dry up and there is less underground water
