What do you need to survive a drought?

Introduction

A drought can be a very frightening event. Not only does it put a strain on the environment, but it can also have a negative impact on our daily lives. In this blog post, we will discuss what you need to do to survive a drought. We will provide tips on how to conserve water and what you can do to make your home more drought-friendly. Stay safe and stay hydrated!

This article will mainly focus on homeowners or off gridders. We will focus on steps to take when a drought is eventuating and how to manage your water wisely to get past the drought.

Impacts of drought

Drought is a disaster that can strike without warning, and its impact grows over time. Unlike other natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes which are typically limited in scope due to their intensity (though they still kill many people). The threat posed by droughts goes far beyond death figures. It wreaks havoc on crops through lack of rainfall leading towards food shortages and lack of fresh water.

Droughts are a natural occurrence that can be aggravated by human actions. However, there’s no way to predict when or where they’ll happen without considering the local weather patterns and water consumption rates in each area of interest!

Drought is a huge problem for developing countries and can have many impacts. It causes water shortages which lead to food inflation, civil unrest (especially when there’s no rain), as well an increase in pre-existing problems like hunger or migration because of how much it affects their lives on every level from economic perspective.

What can we do in a drought situation

Sometimes people feel helpless when they are confronted with a drought situation. This is the time to have a plan in place, but more importantly it is more advantages to have measures already in place that can alleviate the fear and strain this could cause to survive a drought.

Common sense is key when dealing with potential drought situations. Keep well informed of your environment, such as keeping an eye on river and lake levels in your local area. If you notices changes check with your local water board for reasons this could be happening. Even having an intimate knowledge of the rain waterfall in your area and checking it against you own rain gauge if you have one.

There is much we can do to help us get through a drought situation. The follow tips, will, if implemented withstand against most drought situations.

What do you need to survive a drought? – Here’s our list of water saving tips that should be implemented to minimize drought situations.

Indoor Water Tips

• Repair any leaky taps. This is as easy as replacing the washers. Make it a habit to check faucets regularly.
• Do a water meter test to check that there are no underground leaks. To begin the test turn of all taps, take a meter reading, wait 30 minutes and check that the meter is still the same. If not, you may have a leak somewhere.
• Take shorter showers
• You can replace your shower head, there are some great ones on the market that use less water.
• Placing a bucket in the shower and gathering any excess to use elsewhere is a great idea.
• When brushing your teeth don’t keep the water running.
• When waiting for the hot water to arrive, capture that cold water for other uses.
• Instead of using the sink disposal start a compost.
• Use the dishwasher only when it is completely full.
• Scrape plates instead of rinsing them before placing in dishwasher.
• Same goes with washing machine, wait until it’s completely full.
• When buying new appliances check the water efficiency ratings if it uses water.
• Install a dual-flush toilet

Outdoor Water Tips

• If you water your lawn, don’t over water it. Lawns can be watered every 7 days or so.
• Use a shut-off nozzle when washing your car.
• Use car wash that is environmentally friendly. So when washing your car over the lawn it doesn’t damage it.
• Check sprinkler systems – make sure there are no leaks and they are positioned in the right places and not watering walls.
• Cover pools and spas when not in use to reduce water evaporation.
• Plant natives and drought resistant grasses and shrubs. They require less frequent watering.
• Water plants in the early morning or late evening.
• Use mulch to retain water moisture and therefore requiring less watering.
• Use air-blower instead of hose where necessary.
• Re-use any grey water collected from shower and any taps your capturing water.
• Install a rainwater tank, they are sometimes funded by local governments.
• Install a well. This can be funded by local government and is relatively cheap if not.

Final thoughts

As you can see there’s much one individual can do to survive a drought. The question is what could many achieve? Get everyone in the family involved in changing habits that will make the world of difference. Another important factor is to share your knowledge with the community at large. Encourage everyone to change their habits. This type of wide reaching change can make a huge impact to our environment for the better. Just remember not to become complacent and keep in tune with your environment.