Impacts of Drought in South Africa, 1980-94

Understanding Your Risk and Impacts

Impacts of Drought in South Africa, 1980-94

The following table originally appeared in Chapter 25 (“Drought in South Africa, with Special Reference to the 1980–94 Period”, by Coleen Vogel, Mike Laing, and Karl Monnik) of Drought: A Global Assessment (edited by D.A. Wilhite), Routledge Press, London, UK.

Drought impacts extend beyond the area physically affected by drought and can linger after the event has ended. The table below summarizes major drought impacts, direct and indirect, in South Africa for the years 1980–94. Impacts and effects are categorized as social, environmental, or economic.

Impact	Ripple Effects
Social Impacts
Lack or poor distribution of resources (food and water)	Migration, resettlement, conflicts between water users
Increased quest for water	Increased conflicts between water users
Marginal lands become unsustainable	Poverty, unemployment
Reduced grazing quality and crop yields	Overstocking; Reduced quality of living
Employment layoffs	Reduced or no income
Food insecurity	Malnutrition and famine; Civil strife and conflict
Increased pollutant concentrations	Public health risks
Inequitable drought relief	Social unrest, distrust
Increased forest and range fires	Increased threat to human and animal life
Urbanization	Social pressure, reduced safety
Environmental impacts
Damage to natural habitats	Loss of biodiversity
Reduced forest, crop, and range land productivity	Reduced income and food shortages
Reduced water levels	Lower accessibility to water
Reduced cloud cover	Plant scorching
Increased daytime temperature	Increased fire hazard
Increased evapotranspiration	Crop withering and dying
More dust and sandstorms	Increased soil erosion; Increased air pollution
Decreased soil productivity	Desertification and soil degradation (topsoil erosion)
Decreased water resources	Lack of feeding and drinking water
Reduced water quality	More waterborne diseases; Increased salt concentrations
Increased incidence of animal diseases and mortality	Loss of income and food; Reduced breeding stock
Soil desiccation	Increased soil “blowability”
Degradation of landscape quality	Permanent loss of biological productivity of the landscape
Species concentration near water	Increased vulnerability to predation
Economic impacts
Reduced business with retailers	Increased prices for farming commodities
Food and energy shortages	Drastic price increased; Expensive imports/substitutes
Loss of crops for food and income	Increased expense of buying food from shops
Reduction of livestock quality	Sale of livestock at reduced market price
Water scarcity	Increased transport costs
Loss of jobs, income, and property	Deepening poverty; Increased unemployment
Less income from tourism and recreation	Increased capital shortfall
Forced financial loans	Increased debt; Increased credit risk for financial institutions