How Many Types Of Drought In South Africa

What is Drought?

A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions. A drought can last for days, months, or years. Drought often has large impacts on the ecosystems and agriculture of affected regions and causes harm to the local economy.

How Many Types Of Drought In South Africa

Meteorological Drought is based on the degree of dryness or rainfall deficit and the length of the dry period. Hydrological Drought is based on the impact of rainfall deficits on the water supply such as stream flow, reservoir and lake levels, and groundwater table decline.

What are the 4 types of droughts in South Africa?

Types of Drought

  • Meteorological Drought. When dry weather patterns dominate an area.
  • Hydrological Drought. When low water supply becomes evident in the water system.
  • Agricultural Drought. When crops become affected by drought.
  • Socioeconomic Drought.
  • Ecological Drought.

What are the types of droughts in South Africa summary?

Droughts are categorized into four major categories namely agricultural, meteorological, hydrological, and socio-economic drought (Wilhite & Glantz 1985). The type of drought depends mainly on the characteristics of drought namely intensity, duration, frequency, and area coverage.

Where are hydrological droughts found in South Africa?

A hydrological drought occurs when a meteorological drought significantly reduces the availability of water resources in rivers, lakes, and underground. Currently, except in a few places (Northern, Eastern, and Western Cape and pockets of Limpopo), there is not yet a hydrological drought in South Africa.

Where does agricultural drought occur in South Africa?

The Northern Cape Province of South Africa drought is one of the worst the province has experienced in more than a century and impacted about 10,000 farms with a carrying capacity of 166,000 big stock units, covering more than 5.8 million hectares