Droughts in India

The term ‘drought’ can be defined as a term when there is almost no water or very little water available due to various reasons such as inadequate precipitation, over-utilisation of water, excessive rate of evaporation, or over usage of groundwater.

Drought occurs when there is a prolonged absence or inadequacy of rain, resulting in a significant hydrologic (water) imbalance and, as a result, water shortages, agricultural damage, streamflow decrease, and groundwater and soil moisture depletion. For an extended length of time, evaporation and transpiration outweigh precipitation.

Droughts in India

In practically every corner of the world, drought is the most significant physical threat to agriculture. Attempts to control it have been undertaken by seeding clouds to generate rainfall, but these attempts have only had limited effectiveness.

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Types of Drought

• Meteorological Drought

Meteorological drought is a form of drought that occurs when there is insufficient rainfall for an extended period of time.

• Agricultural Drought

The agricultural drought, also known as the soil moisture drought, is attributed to low soil moisture, critical for crop support. 

• Hydrological Drought 

As the name indicates, the hydrological drought is caused by a shortage of water. The state is known as a hydrological drought when the water level in various reservoirs or storages, such as lakes, aquifers, and so on, falls below the mark.

• Ecological Drought

In case the productivity of the natural ecosystem falls short due to inadequate water supply, damages are induced in the ecosystem.

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Drought prone area

If believed in facts, more than 19% of the country’s total geographical area falls under the drought-prone area in India. Also, nearly 12% of India’s total population regularly suffers from drought. More than 30% of India’s total area can already be marked as drought-prone, where more than 50 million are affected each year.

• Extreme drought-prone area

The Aravali highlands, notably the Kachchh and Marusthali regions, are among India’s most severely drought-affected locations. Nearly 90mm of rain falls each year in places like Barmer and Jaisalmer.

• Severe drought-prone area

Most of Madhya Pradesh, eastern Rajasthan, interior Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, eastern Maharashtra, substantial portions of the Karnataka Plateau, northern Tamil Nadu, and southern Jharkhand are severe drought-prone areas.

Control Measures of Droughts in India

• Recognise groundwater potential in aquifers
• Transmit river water from the excess to the shortage areas
• Design for inter-linking of rivers and building of reservoirs and dams
• Use remote sensing and satellite images to identify the possible river basins. These river basins can be interlinked and recognise the groundwater capability
• Distribute knowledge about drought-resistant crops and proper assistance to utilise the same in the long term
• Rainwater harvesting

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Consequences of Droughts in India

• Health issues related to low availability of water or poor water quality
• Decline in incomes and livelihoods
• Mental health issues related to the economic and personal losses
• Death of people and wildlife
• Migration of wildlife due to lack of food and water for survival
• Soil erosion
• More Wildfires, and much more

Drought Prevention and Mitigation

1. The drought prone area Programme (DPAP) and Desert Development Programme (DDP) have been implemented by the Government of India since 1973-74 and 1977-78, respectively.
2. These programmes aim at drought-proofing and reducing desertification of delicate areas. These areas are in the arid, semi-arid, and dry-sub humid regions and are frequently affected by severe drought situations and desertification.
3. The National Rainfed Area Authority in the Ministry of Agriculture is set up to report the issue of drought mitigation on a long-term basis. It comprises experts who provide knowledge inputs regarding systematic upgradation and management of the country’s dry land and rainfed agriculture.

NDMA guidelines for Drought Management

• In 2010, the NDMA issued guidelines for managing droughts that will act as a base for State governments and the Union Territories to minimise the hazard. Its key features are:
  • Drought monitoring cells DMCs to be created at the state level
  •  Use of information and communication technology for real-time drought-related information
  • For comprehensive information, the ground-based information is to be collated and synchronised with the satellite-based information to have a broader picture about the onset, occurrence, and severity
  • Vulnerability maps must be prepared for each state by the respective state DMCs
  • Agricultural research institutes to research and develop drought-resistant varieties of crops
  • Promotion of crop diversification and use of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems
  • All productive animals must be provided with fodder to prevent the distressed sale of animals 
  • If possible, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to be coupled with drought management strategies

Conclusion

Drought is a protracted period of dry weather that may occur everywhere on the planet as part of the natural climate cycle. It’s a slow-moving calamity marked by a lack of precipitation, which causes a water deficit. Drought has the potential to affect health, agriculture, economy, and energy negatively.