Summertime drought can be devastating in many ways, to many different ways of life. It can alter an ecosystem and destroy the food chain. It can also effect the way of life for humans. Drought can occur in any area, however is more prominent in areas that are usually dry and lack rain. Some droughts have been known to last ten to fifteen years.
Droughts can be especially dangerous to the food chain. Plants and animals are made primarily of water, so they require water to survive. If it does not rain, plants cannot grow. If plants cannot grow, animals that rely on plants to eat cannot survive. Then the Carnivorous animals that rely on eating other animals will have less to eat if more and more animals that do not have plants to eat die off. Humans then will have less to eat, due to plants and animals becoming deceased. This is a vicious pattern that can occur easily if drought becomes widespread. Drought can be deadly to many walks of life.
A drought can also cause major financial hardship to the agriculture industry. If there is no rain, crops cannot grow, or will not yield as much as normal. This also causes a rise in crop prices, making meat animal producers struggle to have enough money to feed their animals. If food for animals becomes scarce enough, livestock production will decrease, resulting in less for humans to eat or even worse, a famine. Also, if crops were to become sparse, common products produced from them will become few and far between. Simply put, rain is needed for the world to survive.
Drought can also deplete safe drinking water. If it does not rain, water table levels will drop and water will become scarce. Without safe drinking water, disease can easily spread. Humans can only live for a few days without water. Lack of safe water also results in sanitation issues, since there will be no way to safely get rid of human waste.
A fish kill may also occur if there is a drought. By dropping water levels in lakes and ponds, fish will start to die off. This can deplete the food supply also in large amounts.
These are just a few major factors that will be destroyed if a drought were to occur. Water is needed by all things living to survive. Without it, the world would simply fall apart.
