Hazards associated with Global warming

Drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall in a certain area. Usually, during drought, rainfall is below average. On one hand, the shortage of rainfall creates water shortage which affects human activities.

On the other hand, the dry season is a normal phenomenon in a calendar year. It is one of the seasons in the year with no or very little rainfall. Drought is a serious hazard in the world. In Tanzania, drought affects regions found in central and northern zones such as Dodoma, Arusha, Manyara, Singida, Kilimanjaro, Shinyanga, and Simiyu. Drought is associated with the scarcity of water, food, and pasture for animals. In addition, during drought, there are high temperatures during the day and very low temperatures during the night, with strong winds in areas not covered with vegetation. These are due to changes in climate, which last over long periods. Therefore, the impacts of drought are usually severe.

The occurrence of drought can cause damage to people, livestock, and crops. The impacts of drought tend to be more severe due to climate change. Figure shows the impacts of drought on livestock. Farmers and pastoralists are much more affected by drought. Some of the effects of drought are as follows:

1. Death of people and livestock due to lack of food and water;
2. Damage of crops, which causes food scarcity;
3. Loss of income by farmers and the government due to death of livestock and poor harvests;
4. Destruction and erosion of the top soil by wind due to prolonged drought;
5. Drying of water sources such as rivers, dams, wells or streams and reduced levels of water in lakes and dams;
6. Reduced supply of hydro electric power due to low water levels in hydro electric power generating dams;
7. Movement of wild animals to human settlements searching for pasture and water;
8. Increased conflicts between farmers and pastoralists due to lack of water and green pasture for animals;

Effects of drought on livestock

Drought is a hazard that occurs slowly. Farmers, livestock keepers, and other stakeholders can prepare and respond to drought through strategies such as the following:

1. Planting drought-tolerant crops and short-season crops such as cassava, millet and sorghum (see Figure 4);
2. Encouraging good farming practices to conserve soil, water, and fertility;
3. Encouraging irrigation farming;
4. Raising awareness of conservation agriculture, irrigation, selection of good varieties of seeds, and better usage of agricultural inputs;
5. Encouraging modern and better ways of livestock keeping, such as reducing the number of livestock and encouraging breeds that can tolerate drought conditions;
6. Strengthening early warning systems to provide timely and reliable information on rainfall conditions; and
7. Preparing response plans to deal with drought.

Sorghum, one of the drought tolerant crops