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An initiative of Free The Children | |||
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An initiative of Free The Children | |||
Understanding the world around you is the first step towards making positive change. From clean water, to child labour, you can explore important topics with Issue Backgrounders.
Every living thing depends on a steady intake of water to survive. Humans and animals need it for our bodies to function and plants depend on it to grow. Many of us are lucky enough to have a running tap in our kitchens and bathrooms, a hose in the backyard to water our gardens. It's easy to forget how important water is. But in many regions of the world, drought makes accessing water very difficult.
"Drought" signifies a long period of time, usually several months or years, without normal rainfall or precipitation. This causes the land to become very arid and dry. Water sources dry up and can no longer be used, forcing people to go long distances to search for water. If water can be found it must be used for everything including drinking, washing, feeding animals and as a washroom. This can cause sickness and spread disease.
Drought also means that crops and animals that rely on the rain often die, resulting in a food crisis or famine. Famine was the deadliest form of disaster in the 1990s, accounting for 42 percent of all deaths caused by natural disasters (United Nations Environment Programme). When drought occurs in developing regions that do not have any resources to fall back on in times of crisis, the resulting food crisis can be devastating.
In itself, drought means a lack of rainfall. However, the ramifications of drought usually arise from disruption to food sources. Every person requires two to four litres of water each day, but it takes 2,000-5,000 litres to produce food for one person each day (UN Water, Statistics). During a drought, plants and crops die from lack of water, and grazing livestock also perish because they have nothing to eat. The few crops that do grow are sold at exorbitant prices because of their scarcity, so only the wealthiest people can afford to eat. In communities that rely on the production of local food, the result is a hunger crisis or famine. Young children are at the highest risk during a food emergency, and if they persistently do not get enough food, their growth becomes stunted.
People in drought-affected areas are forced to travel in search of food and water, often moving to other regions and even other nations, where they are housed in temporary camps. During the height of the 2011 East African drought, 1,300 people were crossing daily into Kenya, where the situation was not as dire, in search of sustenance (BBC). Governments and international organizations often provide food and water at these camps, but many people can get sick because of the close living quarters, which cause illness to spread quickly.
Drought most often occurs when rainfall or precipitation is significantly less than usual, but it can also be affected when higher than normal temperatures cause greater evaporation and cause the land to become more arid. Climate change is altering the earth's weather systems, which is leading to extreme weather conditions including floods and droughts. As a result, dry areas of the world are experiencing more frequent and extreme droughts.
When a region has little or no resources to fall back on in times of hardship, a drought can be detrimental. This was the case in the 2011 drought in Eastern Africa, designated the worst drought in 60 years. Two seasons of minimal rainfall left the region parched and unable to sustain crops or grazing livestock. There were few food and water sources to fall back on, resulting in thirst and famine.
UN Water, statistics. http://www.unwater.org/statistics.html
UN Water, Water pollution, environmental degradation and disasters. http://www.unwater.org/statistics_pollu.html
Unesco, World Water Assessment Programme. http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/facts_figures/food_supply.shtml
United Nations Environment Programme, GEO: Global Environment Outlook. http://www.unep.org/geo/geo3/english/448.htm
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, "Drought in the Horn of Africa threatens millions." http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/80157/icode/
BBC News, "Ethiopia refugee camp child death rates 'alarming'- UN." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14547057
 
Youth leading global change is the movement of our time. We Day is the manifestation of this movement. 
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Free The Children believes in a world where all young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change.
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Me to We is an innovative social enterprise that provides people with better choices for a better world.
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