Specialists warn that droughts, like other weather phenomena, are becoming more frequent and intense. In the past two decades, the former have affected 1.4 billion people in the world, and have increased in number and duration by almost 30% since 2000. Added to this is the fact that although Africa is experiencing the greatest increase in intensity and frequency this phenomenon gradually affects all continents.
It is estimated that by 2050, droughts could affect more than three-quarters of the world’s population, and 216 million people could be forced to migrate. 2022 has been particularly difficult in many regions such as the European continent, where there is already talk of the worst drought in the past five hundred years.
We share some pictures and illustrations of the situation in the world.
Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are experiencing the worst drought in more than four decades. This situation has put more than 22 million people at risk of starvation. More than a million people have been forced to flee their homes, and the displacement is expected to continue in the coming months. Photo: AFP
Iraq, a country classified as particularly vulnerable to climate change and desertification, is battling its third consecutive year of drought. Vast areas of the southern marshes, considered a World Heritage Site for their biodiversity and history, have dried up. Over the past year, the agriculture sector shrank by 17 percent due to drought. Photo: AFP
The Colorado River and its reservoirs have plummeted after more than two decades of continuous drought. The iconic river flows through the southwestern United States and Mexico, supplying millions of people and vast farmland. Reduced rainfall has led to restrictions on water use, including outdoor irrigation, in Los Angeles. Photo: AP
Europe suffered severe heat waves, reduced rainfall, and fires. Almost half of the continent is threatened by drought. Experts say this is the worst in the past five hundred years. No less important rivers than the Rhine, the Po and the Loire dwindled, and the lower water level had an effect on the transport of goods and energy production.
Several regions of the United Kingdom were declared in a state of drought during August, after the country experienced its driest July since 1935. The authorities recorded the highest temperature in their history on July 19, 2022, with 40,2. Over a quarter of the rivers flowing were announced. Britain is exceptionally low and several irrigation bans have been issued. Photo: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Wire
Spain has been hit hard by drought and severe weather. Several fires engulfed more than 280,000 hectares and forced thousands of people to leave their homes. The lack of water in the dam revealed a prehistoric megalithic complex, already baptized with the Spanish name Stonehenge. Photo: AP
From Tokyo to Cape Town, many cities are adapting to an increasingly dry environment. And solutions do not necessarily have to pass high-tech. In Senegal, farmers plant circular gardens to allow the roots to grow inward, trapping precious drops of water. In Chile and Morocco, nets are used to catch water from fog. Photo: Reuters
Chile is at the forefront of the region’s water crisis due to drought in the central region of the country, the longest in Latin America and the Caribbean in a long time. “In Chile we’re talking about a ‘mega-drought’ that has lasted for 13 years,” says Gabriel Mancella, executive director of the Water Center for Dry and Semi-arid Latin America and the Caribbean. Photo: Reuters
The severe drought that China is experiencing is affecting the third longest river in the world. The consequences of the lower water level of the Yangtze River affect the river transportation and hydraulic power. In an effort to save electricity, some malls have limited their operating hours and power rationing power to factories. Photo: AP
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