# Drought: A Common Environmental Disaster
## 1 Introduction  
Drought has been identified as an environmental hazard by scientists and agricultural professionals. It has been described as a long period of a decrease in precipitation, such as a season or a year, and occurs in almost all climatic zones, including both high and low rainfall locations. Drought is characterised by the average amount of precipitation that an area regularly receives. For example, the average annual rainfall in Atlanta, Georgia is roughly 127 cm (50 inches). If there is a large decrease in rainfall, water shortages may occur, and drought may be proclaimed. In a non-drought year, however, some arid locations, such as the deserts of the American Southwest, may receive less than 25 cm (10 inches) of rainfall. In Phoenix, Arizona, a drought in Atlanta may mean a very wet period [1, 2]. In some other locations, such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), evidence points to the long records of various drought episodes in varying magnitude and intensity. Within SSA, factors such as polity, governance, exposure, vulnerable populace and the high seasonality of rainfall make the region susceptible to drought risk. According to a report by reliefweb on droughs in SSA and Southern Africa ([[https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/](https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/)]([https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/](https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/)) resources/GDODroughtNews202108_Sub-Saharan_and_Southern_Africa.pdf, accessed on 10 November 2021), there are five major areas of concern within this sub-continent. These areas are Southern Madagascar, Angola, Central Nigeria, Kenya, Southern Somaliaand Northern Zambia. These areas show distinct seasonality in rainfall; one of the issues identified as a leading cause is the widespread failure of previous wet seasons, in some cases for several consecutive years. In Madagascar, the situation is very grim; about 1.31 million are affected with about 60% loss and damages recorded in the agricultural section. In Angola, the situation is no different. About 3.81 million people are experiencing food insecurity as a result of drought events afflicting the country. In Kenya, the situation is almost the same, as reports from the country are stating unequivocally that food insecurity within the country is likely to persist till the end of the year 2021 with about 2 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Whether it is in SSA, South Africa or in southern Africa, such as Madagascar, the impact of drought is worsening year by year and the rate of exposure is increasing. Across these regions, we have a large proportion of the population, especially within some of the counties, states, or provinces, which are pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. Hence, the persistence in drought would mean loss and damages to their crops and most likely the death of their animals. In addition, according to a report by the IPCC [3], the average global and ocean land surface temperature increased by 0.85 degrees Celsius between 1880 and 2012. South Asia, one of the world's most drought-prone regions, is facing water and food shortages [3; 4; 5]. Due to the current drought episodes within South Asia, the scenario could worsen even further. Furthermore, India was severely impacted by the worst drought in history, which lasted many years (1999-2003) [6]. A severe drought struck Southeast Asia in 2004, resulting in reduced water supplies for drinking and irrigation, as well as crop loss of millions of hectares [7; 8; 9]. Hence, deteriorating conditions of vegetation, increased distances to water sources, worsening livestock conditions, reduced milk production and increased number of children at risk of malnutrition are common lived experiences on a day-to-day basis as a result of these increasing drought events. Hence, there is a need for timely warning and early signals of drought [10], especially in tropical countries of the world, such as Sub-Saharan Africa.