DROUGHTS IN EUROPE

1. Background

• Drought Is a rainfall-scarce period, affecting the availability of water for irrigation, drinking, etc.
• They are classified into three types. 
• METEOROLOGICAL drought is a prolonged dry spell in periods when rainfall is expected 
• HYDROLOGICAL drought when scarcity of water begins to hit  normal supplies in the system 
• AGRICULTURAL drought is when scarcity of water begins to affect the agricultural production 
• In Europe, all three kinds are being observed currently, varying in degrees in different areas. 

2. What is Drought all about

• A drought is defined as "a period of abnormally dry weather sufficiently prolonged for the lack of water to cause a serious hydrologic imbalance in the affected area." -Glossary of Meteorology (1959).
• In easier to understand terms, a drought is a period of unusually persistent dry weather that persists long enough to cause serious problems such as crop damage and/or water supply shortages. The severity of the drought depends upon the degree of moisture deficiency, the duration, and the size of the affected area.

• There are four different ways that drought can be defined.

• Meteorological-a measure of the departure of precipitation from normal. Due to climatic differences, what might be considered a drought in one location of the country may not be a drought in another location.
• Agricultural refers to a situation where the amount of moisture in the soil no longer meets the needs of a particular crop.
• Hydrological occurs when surface and subsurface water supplies are below normal.
• Socioeconomic refers to the situation that occurs when physical water shortages begin to affect people.

3. Contemporary issues

• An “analytical report” of the Global DroughtObservatory(GDO), an agency of the EuropeanCommission, released Tuesday said about 64% of the continent’s landmass was experiencing drought conditions, as per data available till August 10. And Situation was only “worsening” as of that date.
• Nearly 90% of the geographical area in Switzerland and France, about 83% in Germany,andcloseto75% in Italy, was facing agricultural drought.
• Some Areas, especially the UK, have received rain in the last week, but it has made only a marginally different to the overall situation. 
• The situation is unlikely to improve substantially in the coming months. 
• The GDO’s report suggests that the prevailing conditions could extend up to November.
• Droughts are part of the natural climate system and are not uncommon in Europe. It is the severity of this drought that is making it stand out. 
• The extraordinary dry spell has been theresultofaprolonged a significant deviation from normal weather patterns. Rainfall Has been scanty in several countries.
• The UK has drifted since July 1935, and France since 1959. The Netherlands, which receives plenty of rainfall, is having one of the driest years ever, and Germany received only half its normal rain.
• In fact, rain has been below normal since the winter. In Addition, unusually high temperatures have led to increased evaporation of surface water and soil moisture. 
• The severity of the currentdroughtcanalso, at least partially, be attributed to the fact that thas appeared soon after the 2018 event. Many areas in Europe were still to recover from that drought. Soil Moisture Hadn't Been Restored to normal, and the current dry spell has sapped further moisture.

4. The global perspective of Droughts

• An estimated 55 million people globally are affected by droughts every year, and they are the most serious hazard to livestock and crops in nearly every part of the world. 
• Drought threatens people’s livelihoods, increases the risk of disease and death, and fuels mass migration. 
• Water scarcity impacts 40% of the world’s population, and as many as 700 million people are at risk of being displaced as a result of drought by 2030.
• Rising temperatures caused by climate change are making already dry regions drier and wet regions wetter. 
• In dry regions, this means that when temperatures rise, water evaporates more quickly, and thus increases the risk of drought or prolonged periods of drought.
•  Between 80-90% of all documented disasters from natural hazards during the past 10 years have resulted from floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, heat waves and severe storms.

5. The impact of Drought

When drought causes water and food shortages there can be many impacts on the health of the affected population, which may increase the risk of disease and death. Drought may have acute and  chronic health effects, including: 

• malnutrition due to the decreased availability of food, including micronutrient deficiency, such as iron-deficiency anaemia; 
• increased risk of infectious diseases, such as cholera, diarrhoea, and pneumonia, due to acute malnutrition, lack of water and sanitation, and displacement; 
• psycho-social stress and mental health disorders; 
• disruption of local health services due to a lack of water supplies, loss of buying power, migration and/or health workers being forced to leave local areas.

Severe drought can also affect air quality by making wildfires and dust storms more likely, increasing health risks in people already impacted by lung diseases, like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or heart disease.

6. Drought Management Policy In India:

• The Ministry of Water Resources is involved in drought management mainly through policy guidelines, monitoring and technical and financial assistance.
• National Water Policy 2012 states that the land, soil, energy and water management with scientific inputs should be used to evolve different agricultural strategies and improve soil and water productivity to manage droughts.
• Integrated farming systems and non-agricultural developments may also be considered for livelihood support and poverty alleviation.
• Policy intervention is also made facilitating relaxation in project clearances, funding etc. for drought-prone areas.

• Drought Proofing Measures:

• Irrigation is the most effective drought-proofing mechanism and the single biggest factor of stability in agriculture production.
• Construction of storage dams.
• Early completion of projects by extending technical and financial assistance to irrigation projects through schemes like:
• Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme.
• Command area Development and Water Management Programme.
• Repair, Renovation and Restoration of water bodies.