ScienceDroughts
Droughts can affect most countries around the world although the scale can effects range from hosepipe bans to a massive struggle just to find enough water to live
What is a Drought
A drought is often a longer term problem that occurs due to a lack of rainfall in an area. They can last just months to many, many years.
Consequences
In countries such as the UK a shortage of water may mean that measures such as hosepipe bans have to be introduced to ensue that sufficient water is available for essential purposes such as drinking and growing crops. In other countries where droughts last for many years, a drought will result in the desertification of the land, were it quite literally becomes a desert. This is because erosion speeds up as there are fewer plants as they struggle to grow. There are many human problems that result from droughts. Poor crop yields lead to malnutrition and unrest among people which can lead to wars over precious resources. Additionally, many thousands of people may try to move away from areas affected by drought causing increased strain on the resources of neighbouring regions that are unaffected.
The Future
Drought is likely to become an increasing problem in the future as climate change begins to have greater effect, possibly making climates more unpredictable and areas that have not previously been affected by droughts prone to them.
References
How Drought Affects Us
http://drought.unl.edu/kids/impacts/affects.htm