Drought is defined as a deficiency of rain or participation over an extended period that causes a water shortage in a particular area.

There are many indicators of drought which tell us about the cause of drought in a particular area. These indicators are streamflow, groundwater, snowpack, temperature, precipitation and soil moisture.

The systemic challenge that exacerbates the impact of bad monsoon or drought is climate change. Climate change is worsening the drought situation in many parts of the world.

In the United States, drought gets more frequently intense in regions such southwest, and is long-lasting.

Climate change also affects the monsoon in the area. The regions with bad monsoons are prone to drought.

Drought

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), drought is a prolonged dry period of the natural cycle that can occur anywhere in the world. It is known as a slow disaster caused by the lack of precipitation, which results in water storage.

Drought can have serious effects on health not only in humans but on the health of other creatures, agriculture, economies, energy and the environment.

As estimated by the WHO, over 55 million people are affected by drought every year globally. Drought threatens people’s livelihood, increases the risk of diseases and deaths and can be the reason for fueling mass migration.

The scarcity of water impacts 40% of the total world population. At present, 700 million people are at high risk of being displaced by the drought in 2030.

Causes of drought 

• High temperature. When the temperature reaches the maximum in a particular area, all the water present in water bodies or groundwater evaporates, resulting in drought.
• Precipitation is one of the leading causes of drought. When there is no precipitation in a particular area over a long period, it may result in drought.
• Lack of water resources or reservoirs in lakes and rivers can lead to drought because these areas rely on rainfall and surface area.
• Bad monsoon, monsoon delay, and monsoon rainfall variability are responsible for the drought.
• Overgrazing, land exploration, overexploitation of cultivated and natural lands, overpopulation and land clearness also lead to drought.
• Human activities can exacerbate the impacts of the drought.

• Warmer winters or high temperatures can lead to a decrease in snow and precipitation.

Systemic challenges exacerbate the impact of bad monsoon or drought

Drought has both long and short term effects. For example, an immediate drought can include dry vegetation and cause lower water levels in lakes reservoirs. It can also decrease the amount of groundwater or affect its quality, which is used for drinking purposes.

Long term impacts include seawater instructions. Drought damages the ecosystem and land subsidence.

Climate change has increased India’s vulnerability to extreme weather conditions compared to many other similarly placed economies.

As most of the Indian population is employed in agriculture, weak infrastructure in rural areas impacts agricultural output due to volatile rainfall. Agricultural low production can cause an impact on GDP growth.

Low agriculture output can cause food inflammation in rural and urban areas, impacting the overall consumption cycle in the economy.

Following are the measures that should be taken to reduce the drought situation:

• Reduce carbon emissions at both national and international levels, which is the leading cause of climate change.
• Reduce the use of water in every sector, including agriculture.
• Improve the monitoring of regional water supply systems and measure total water supply and uses.
• Reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides, which lowers the availability of clean water on the surface and ground.
• Increase the process of recycling and reuse of water.
• Increase maintenance and infrastructure for reducing leakage and health risk from old pipes.

Conclusion

Drought is known as a natural calamity that can not be prevented, but we can prepare ourselves for the effect of this natural disaster to make it more manageable. Increase efforts to sustainably manage groundwater resources that can be used during dry weather conditions.

We need to consider drought as an interaction of both natural and human influence and integrate natural and social science when conducting drought research to predict better and manage future droughts.