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Essay / The socio-economic and environmental impacts of drought...
There are four different types of drought, meteorological drought, agricultural drought, hydrological drought and socio-economic drought. Meteorological drought is characterized by the degree of dryness during a dry period and varies by region. This includes a deficit of precipitation (amount, intensity, timing), high temperatures, high winds, low relative humidity, more sunshine, less cloud cover, increased evaporation, reduced infiltration and groundwater recharge . Agricultural drought is characterized by soil water deficiency, plant water stress and reduced biomass yield, which result from the effects of meteorological drought. Hydrological drought is caused by a reduction in precipitation on surface and groundwater supplies that typically follows meteorological and agricultural drought. It is characterized by reduced inflow to reservoirs, lakes and ponds, as well as reduced wetlands and wildlife habitats. Finally, a socio-economic drought occurs when the demand for economic goods is not met due to meteorological, hydrological and agricultural drought. Goods that are generally in short supply during a socio-economic drought include water, food grains, fish.,