Is Trinidad and Tobago in a real drought?

People see the fire on the hills, and if they would pay attention to the silent voice of conscience they'd feel the chill. A lot is happening each time a bushfire begins somewhere in Trinidad and Tobago, and it all leads to the dread spectre we hear of in other places - drought.

Drought is not a thing we know of down here, although we may have heard of it, or we may have seen its effects from a vantage point at the front of our televisions. The thing is, drought for us need not become the threat of our lifetime, heaven knows we have enough other things to worry about.

But what is drought really? We usually only see the images of dry desert in the equatorial regions. One easy definition of an arid area; 'a place which contributes nothing to the waters of the ocean system' puts Trinidad and Tobago 'in the cool' speaking figuratively.

Science tells of three types of drought; Meteorological, Agricultural and Hydrological. These are dry terms for what is essentially the bane of civilizations. While it is accepted that drought is a normal phenomenon, part of natural climate variability, understanding the process can help us stave off its negative effects to some extent.

A insidious aspect of the process of drought is the length of time it takes to show its face. When it's finally recognised, usually it's too late for the community where it occurred. At first the symptoms will just be a little less rain, for shorter periods, and in lessening amounts.

At that initial stage expect higher temperatures, greater sunshine, less cloud cover and high winds. Of course the effects of each are already familiar to the people of Trinidad and Tobago - there's talk of reduced water collection in the reservoirs and the aquifers. There's been some mention of the high rate of evaporation over the lakes and the ponds. It seems we were introduced to the early days of drought. Or as science would say, Meteorological drought.

The other stage is Agricultural drought. This is where other known factors exacerbate what was the foretelling of 'Met drought'. Agricultural drought is the period where farming communities will experience a severe loss of moisture in the soils. They will witness stressed plants, reduced growth, and will suffer smaller yields.

When the third stage of drought, Hydrological drought is apparent, then the television is no longer needed, the view is outside the window. The signs are everywhere at that point. Rivers are dry, or almost empty, wetlands are dry, and wildlife has migrated or died.

Drought has its teeth in its very insidiousness. It comes slowly, it affects no one person, it affects all communities and it takes in large geographic plots. There are not enough written laws to protect us from its ravages, nor is enough press given to it - it's not news until it's identified by the face of a starving child.

The thing to do is first recognise its onslaught. In Trinidad and Tobago the first time the word was used in context on the local paper, the article headlined; 'It's official, T&T now in drought'. In hindsight if enough media was used before the dry periods came then the public's awareness may have been apprised.

There's enough material on the symptoms of drought. Bushfire is one topic that comes to mind. These days are all about sirens and shortages on the news. Someone's house burns in a wildfire and the reporting is sure to gain the media company some impressive figures for viewership or what passes for ratings.

Bushfires are what has prompted this article. Bushfires are the first stage of drought. And bushfires are not what should hold our entire attention since it's the advance guard of a much bigger problem. Let's make the slow burn our focus here.   
[ For more of what communities can do about the economic, social and environmental impacts of drought contact Environment Tobago or COPE in Trinidad  ] ;