Drought and Health in the Context of Public Engagement

Abstract

Droughts have profoundly affected societies around the world from the earliest beginnings. A recent estimate from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) claims that more than 1 billion people have been affected by drought during the twenty-year period between 1994 and 2013. Because of the characteristics of drought, drought impacts are often difficult to identify and quantify, and this is especially true with public health-oriented drought consequences, including those resulting from low water quantities, poor water quality, mental health and stress, dust and windblown agents, and wildlife intrusion. However, when officials emphasize adopting a proactive risk management approach to address drought, opportunities increase for reducing future public health risks. This chapter provides an overview of drought and describes drought risk management. The chapter ends with several case studies illustrating how public engagement can greatly assist in preparing a region for future droughts. Preparedness for drought is important as the competition for valuable and finite water resources increases, and as climate change potentially increases drought frequency and severity.

The health and well-being effects of drought: assessing multi-stakeholder perspectives through narratives from the UK

“…Drought impacts are often nonstructural, spread over large geographical areas and have far-reaching economic, environmental 1976,1977,1984,1990,1995 Frome 1976,1990,1995,2005,2011 Pang 1975-1977, 1991-1992, 1995-1997, 2004-2006, 2010-2012 Bevills 1965,1973,1976,1990,1997,2003,[2011][2012] Ebbw 1964, 1972, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1989-1990, 1995-1996, 2002, 1975-1976, 1990, 1995-1996, 2011-2012 Eden at Kemback Rural: town (Cupar), villages; Scottish stakeholders: water supply; whisky distillery; market gardening Gently sloping and low-lying sandstone, limestone and igneous 29% grassland; 12% woodland; 52% arable/horticultural Abstractions for irrigation and public water supply (sandstone aquifer) Groundwater abstractions, effluent returns and small reservoirs in the headwaters 1973, 1974, 1976, 1989, 1995*Since 1961 and social consequences (Ebi and Bowen 2016). The complexity of drought has made it useful to consider droughts according to specific disciplinary perspectives (Wall and Hayes 2016). Meteorological drought defines drought through precipitation deficiency over a given period (Wilhite et al 2014).…”

“…Hydrological drought, often monitored by water companies, shows a deficiency of surface and subsurface water supplies compared to average conditions (Wilhite et al 2014). Finally, socioeconomic drought exists where droughts lead to societal or environmental impacts (Wall and Hayes 2016). This concept of drought emphasises relationships between water and human activities and is manifested due to overlapping of all drought perspectives (Wall and Hayes 2016).…”

Using Serious Games to Facilitate Collaborative Water Management Planning Under Climate Extremes

“…Stakeholders involved in the process should represent several aspects of social, economic, and environmental perspectives to expand options, address the most concerns possible, and create mutual understanding. Any gaps in information or perspective could lead to results that fall short of planning goals (Wall and Hayes 2016).…”

Drought Monitoring in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: Participatory Engagement to Inform Early Warning Systems

“…However, bringing these indicators together requires the support of numerous agencies and organizations. Such public participation in water management has been called "a nuisance and a necessity" because it can slow decision-making (Newig and Fritsch 2009), but also results in improved outcomes (Wall and Hayes 2016) and lasting resilience through collaborative arrangements between the public and private sectors (Johannessen et al 2014). Pulwarty and Sivakumar's (2014, p. 14) review of 21 drought early warning systems from across the globe highlights that successful systems rely upon "multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration among all concerned actors at each stage in the warning process."…”