As short-term drought turns to long-term drought and seasons change, impacts shift as well.
When a tree is under stress from lack of adequate water, it is more susceptible to insect infestation. When the drought is severe and continues over a long period, famine may occur. On this basis, extended deficiency of water can affect the society in various ways both directly and indirectly. Long-term precipitation totals are considered, and well and reservoir levels are a concern. A drought is typically considered long-term after a duration of six months. When drought undermines or destroys food sources, people go hungry. Wiki User. 2012-05-15 22:17:20 2012-05-15 22:17:20. This happens due to the movement of the Earth’s materials in the subsurface when the groundwater resources are depleted. Droughts also have some drastic long-term effects: They can cause the gradual or sudden sinking of the Earth’s surface. What is Long-Term Drought? Drought can have many devastating effects on communities and the surrounding environment. Short- and Long-term Effects of Drought on Human Health Onesmo K. ole-MoiYoi Nearly all of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), especially those in the Horn of Africa, are struggling to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) five of which are related to health. A drought that occurs over a large geographic region for a relatively short time period (several months compared with several years), such as the 1988 drought (May and June), can be economically devastating but not ecologically catastrophic. I should already be familiar with: Drought . Hundreds of thousands died as a result. The long-term effects of a short-term drought on annual rotational agronomic systems are generally minimal. A drought may be local or regional. Loss of groundwater storage can also be caused due to this. The effects of drought are widespread and have devastating effects on the environment and the society as a whole. Many of us remember the 1984 famine in Ethiopia, which was the result of a deadly combination of a severe drought and a dangerously ineffective government. This is known as land subsidence. What are the long term effects of drought? Water use is part and parcel of almost every human activity as well as the life of plants and animals. Top Answer. Besides the drought effects on trees that we’ve already discussed, there are secondary effects as well. That is why a certified arborist will look for carpenter ant, bark beetle, and termite invasions, along with other harmful insect damage indications. The effects of drought play a large role in the water supply to communities as well as damage to crops and other vegetation.