More socially relevant than technically correct is the definition used by Ari Toubo Eibrahim, the minister of agriculture in Niger, who has said that a drought is 'Not as much water as the people need.' Examples Chad, the largest landlocked country of the African Sahel region, suffered greatly from the prolonged drought of the 1970s. Drought is usually accompanied by hot, dry winds and may be followed by damaging floods. Drought, as commonly understood, is a condition of climatic dryness that is severe enough to reduce soil moisture and water below the minimums necessary for sustaining plant, animal, and human life.

The cause may be lack of supply, contamination of supply, inadequate storage or conveyance facilities, or abnormal demand. In the broadest sense, any lack of water for the normal needs of agriculture, livestock, industry, or human population may be termed a drought. While generally associated with semiarid climates, drought can occur in areas that normally enjoy adequate rainfall and moisture levels. Its ability to cause widespread misery is actually increasing. It has today the unfortunate distinction of being the natural disaster that annually claims the most victims. Drought has long been recognized as one of the most insidious causes of human misery.

Essay on effects of drought