A drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to the ground drying up, reduced volumes of water in rivers/streams and lower groundwater levels.
The impacts of drought can be economic, environmental and social. Drought can affect farmers by shrivelling crops or drying out grass so that livestock don't have enough to eat (or drink). These losses then flow through into downstream production and other sectors, such as retail, where shortages can cause price increases.
Drought also increases the risk of wildfire, as well as depleting water flow in storage. Drought can also mean that rural and urban water users, including irrigators and households, have water restrictions imposed on them.
Tasman’s climate means that we can be susceptible to drought conditions. Climate change is likely to bring warmer temperatures and an increase in drought intensity and frequency for the central parts of our district.
The impacts of a drought can occur anywhere in the district and affect both rural and urban areas (water restrictions and higher produce costs). Droughts differ from many other hazards in that they have a slow onset and slowly intensify. Deciding when to respond to drought conditions is not always straight forward.
Learn more about Tasman’s Dry Weather Task Force, a group who was formed many years ago and continues to work together to manage water during dry periods.
Council has a range of work programmes in place that contribute to drought management and to support community resilience during dry periods. This ranges from monitoring river, groundwater and rainfall levels, through to resource management planning (water allocation), dam safety (via the Building Act 2004), and providing reticulated water in urban areas.
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