ABSTRACT
A drought is a departure from the average or normal conditions in which shortage of water adversely impacts ecosystem functioning and the resident populations of people. Drought is a creeping slow-onset natural hazard that is a normal part of climate for virtually all regions of the world; it results in serious economic, social and environmental impacts. The hazard or natural event is best characterized by the frequency of meteorological drought at different levels of intensity and duration. A typical definition would be that an agricultural drought would be recognized 'when soil moisture and rainfall are inadequate during the growing season to support healthy crop growth to maturity and to prevent extreme crop stress and wilt'. Thus, in terms of total moisture shortages, the agricultural drought could occur before any meteorological drought was recognized, and a meteorological drought might be well established before any significant hydrological drought became apparent.
