Droughts are a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water. They can last for several weeks to a year; this often leads to hardship owing to the lack of water for basic needs like drinking, cooking, watering crops, and washing. This guide will show you, in clear terms, how to prepare for drought.

If you find yourself in a place that has the tendency of being affected by drought, it will be better if you take measures that will ensure that you and your community are prepared for it when it comes.

Part 1 of 3

Gathering Emergency Water

1. Create a plan for the storage of water to prepare for a shortage of water

Intense drought can lead to a water shortage that might last for weeks or months. With a good conservative water plan, you and your family can live on stored water for several weeks.

If you live in a region prone to drought, it will be better to have a plan put in place in case the drought starts. By putting up a plan, you and your family can be ready when the drought comes.

  • An average human needs 3 or 4 gallons of water every day to survive. This includes water needed for sanitation and other basic things. When planning, make plans for each person who lives in your household. Make provisions at the rate of one person per gallon each day, keep this in mind when storing the water
  • Also, keep in mind that there is some category of people that will need more than a gallon of water per day. Children, nursing mothers, and sick people will need more water than others. So when you are planning, add this to your plan.
  • You should also make plans for emergency water like when someone falls ill or gets wounded, they will need water to take care of themselves and also stay hydrated
  • If the situation gets worse and water is getting scarce, don’t get to the point of total dehydration before you drink water. Some hiker dies of dehydration even when they still have water left. Drink the amount of water you need to stay alive.

2. Fill your home with bottled water

Remember that you have planned for a gallon of water for each person in the house and that is what they need daily. To improve your preparation, store enough bottled water that can last your household for about a week.

This should be a backup plan; only use this water when the source of drinking water is totally cut off.

3. Put a rain catch system in place

There are many gallons of a waterfall on your roof every year; make good use of this by collecting some of it. You can store up rainwater for the drought period by using the water to do your cleaning and water your plants. Also, doing this will help you reduce your water bill.

  • Buy a large drum of about 55 gallons from a store. You can buy as many as possible if you intend to store water
  • Place the drum under your roof where you can collect water
  • The rainwater should be thoroughly filtered before it is used as drinking water. Before drinking, boil the water for 3 minutes. You should only make use of this water in case of an emergency.

Part 2 of 2

Conserving Water at Home

1. Repair all leaks at home

Pipes that are leaking can waste as much as 3 thousand gallons of water in a year. Leaky pipes will not only waste your water in a drought period but will also increase your water bill during normal times.

  • Check all pipes and joints in your bathroom and kitchen and ensure none of them are leaking
  • Check the toilet and make sure no water is leaking; you can run a test by adding food coloring to your tank. You can check after some minutes, if you find colored substances around, it means there is a leak somewhere
  • You can also check your water level and record it; check it after some minutes. If there is a reduction in the water level, it means there is a leak somewhere. If you cannot find the leak, you can call a plumber to help you check it.

2. Install water conservative appliances

There are some household appliances that use more water than they ought to. Replace them with those that use less water; this will help you conserve your water and also save your money.

  • You can buy a low-flow showerhead to reduce the amount of water you use while showering
  • Buy a low volume toilet to reduce the amount of water you use while flushing the toilet.

3. Ensure you turn off the water when they are not in use

It’s wasteful to turn on the water while brushing or shaving, always turn off the water when they are not in use.

4. Make use of water that would have wasted again

There are many ways in which water gets wasted at home, instead of letting the water run down the drain; you can use them for other purposes.

  • While having your bath in the bathroom, instead of allowing the water to flow down the drain, you can collect this quantity and use it to water your plants.

5. Reduce the amount of water you used to water your lawn

Using a lot of water to water the lawn is a very huge mistake. Don’t water your lawn if it still rained recently.

  • There are some areas where the law doesn’t allow overwatering of lawn; there is a set time you can water. Ensure that watering is allowed in your area before you water.

Part 3 of 3

Preparing the Community for Drought

1. Attend meetings that have to do with water conservation

Many areas prone to drought often meet regularly to discuss water conservation, endeavor to attend those meetings. Give suggestions on how to conserve water.

  • These meetings are often advertised; check the news for updates about the meeting
  • If the meetings are not advertised, put a call through to your local government chairman to ask about the meetings that concern water conservation
  • If your chairman doesn’t know about the meeting, you can form an association where water policies can be discussed.

2. Patronize water conservative businesses

There are some restaurants that only serve water when you request it, they are practicing water conservation. Patronize them and also refer them.

3. Support laws that have to do with water pollution

Water pollution will be a big issue when drought comes. The community will have a shortage of water if the water sources are polluted. It will be in the best interest of the community if the water bodies are cleaned.

Conclusion

Water conservation in drought-prone areas is very important. If you find yourself in such areas, ensure you practice water conservation as much as possible. If you follow all the steps in this guide, you will survive drought when it comes.

Hope you enjoy reading these articles if you have any question or want to share about the topic please leave your comment below and I’ll be happy to write back to you.