Addressing the Systemic Nature of Drought Risks and Impacts

The impacts of natural disasters, including drought, are widespread and far-reaching. As climate change brings more frequent and severe droughts, understanding the systemic nature of drought risks and impacts is crucial to creating better risk management systems.

A Complex Disaster

Droughts are drier-than-normal conditions characterized by prolonged periods of unusually low water availability. They are complex disasters triggered by a mixture of climate variables, such as low precipitation, and human activities, such as water and land management. 

The “World Drought Atlas 2024” report published by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) revealed that extreme drought cases were reported on almost every continent between 2022 and 2024. Despite making up only 3% of all recorded hazard-induced disasters in the last two decades, droughts accounted for over one-third of disaster-affected people globally. 

Drought Risks and Impacts

Droughts strike right at one of the most vital resources to global systems: water supply. From agriculture to healthcare, almost all crucial sectors depend on water for their operations. When droughts occur and water becomes scarce, it means people will not have water to drink, agriculture production will halt, and economies will turn to chaos. 

The World Drought Atlas 2024 report explores cross-sectoral dependencies and connections of droughts to identify drivers and root causes of risks across sectors. Some notable risk drivers include:

• Physical conditions caused by droughts, where lands can no longer retain moisture to support vegetation growth.
• Behaviors and demands, such as consumption habits and lack of awareness of drought risks, which put pressure on water resources during a crisis.
• Infrastructure interventions, such as dredging and construction, which alter water flow.
• Water resource management, in which droughts can increase demand and competition for water resources across sectors.

These interconnected risk factors mean that the impacts extend across sectors, leading to food insecurity, hindering human mobility, and triggering multiple diseases. Drought risks and impacts can also go far beyond the time period in which they occur, triggering cascading impacts and prolonging the recovery process. Consequently, there are many indirect economic costs related to droughts that are rarely accounted for.

Cross-sectoral Policies and Collaborations

Crises disproportionately affect the poorest, most vulnerable, and most marginalized communities. Drought is not an exception. Without intervention, unmitigated drought risks and impacts can widen the inequality gap, aggravate poverty, and hinder the overall progress toward sustainable development.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to expand and strengthen drought risk management systems to develop better preparation and mitigation strategies. Governments, policymakers, and organizations can start by understanding the complexity of drought risks and impacts to make better-informed decisions on disaster management. Cross-sectoral policies and collaborations are also key to achieving national, regional, and international drought resilience.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma

Kresentia Madina

Reporter at Green Network Asia | Website |  + postsBio

Madina is the Assistant Manager of Stakeholder Engagement at Green Network Asia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Studies from Universitas Indonesia. As part of the GNA In-House Team, she supports the organization's multi-stakeholder engagement across international organizations, governments, businesses, civil society, and grassroots communities through digital publications, events, capacity building, and research.

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