Protection and Relief
Strategies for drought protection, mitigation or relief include:
- Dams - many dams and their associated reservoirs supply additional water in times of drought.
- Cloud seeding - an artificial technique to induce rainfall.
- Desalination of sea water for irrigation or consumption.
- Drought monitoring - Continuous observation of rainfall levels and comparisons with current usage levels can help prevent man-made drought. For instance, analysis of water usage in Yemen has revealed that their water table (underground water level) is put at grave risk by over-use to fertilize their Khat crop. Careful monitoring of moisture levels can also help predict increased risk for wildfires, using such metrics as the Keetch-Byram Drought Index or Palmer Drought Index.
- Land use - Carefully planned crop rotation can help to minimize erosion and allow farmers to plant less water-dependent crops in drier years.
- Outdoor water-use restriction - Regulating the use of sprinklers, hoses or buckets on outdoor plants, filling pools, and other water-intensive home maintenance tasks.
- Rainwater harvesting - Collection and storage of rainwater from roofs or other suitable catchments.
- Recycled water - Former wastewater (sewage) that has been treated and purified for reuse.
- Transvasement - Building canals or redirecting rivers as massive attempts at irrigation in drought-prone areas.
Read more about this topic: Drought
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