DROUGHT

DROUGHT

Drought connotes a situation of water shortage for humans, cattle, and agriculture primarily due to, though not limited to, significant shortfall in rainfall. Drought is not defined as a disaster under the Disaster Management Act 2005.

Classification of Drought

• Meteorological drought: Defined as the deficiency of precipitation from expected or normal levels over an extended period of time.
• Hydrological drought: Defined as deficiencies in surface and subsurface water supplies, leading to a lack of water for normal and specific needs.
• Agricultural drought: Triggered by meteorological and hydrological droughts, it occurs when soil moisture and rainfall are inadequate during the crop growing period.

DROUGHTS IN INDIA

1. Drought proneness in India (data and spatiality)

• In India, around 68% of the country is prone to drought to varying degrees.
• The 35% area that receives rainfall between 750 mm and 1125 mm is considered drought-prone, while 33% receiving less than 750 mm is chronically drought-prone.
• IMD declares a year to be a drought year if the area is affected by moderate and severe drought, either individually or together, affecting 20-40% of the total area of the country.
• According to the Drought Early Warning System (DEWS), a real-time drought monitoring platform, as of March 2019, about 42% of India’s land area was under drought, with 6% exceptionally dry—four times the extent of the previous year.
• Distribution of drought in India:

• Conditions of extreme drought: Includes 12% of total drought-prone areas, e.g., Gujarat, western Uttar Pradesh, north-west Madhya Pradesh, and western Rajasthan.
• Conditions of severe drought: Covers 42% of total drought-prone areas, e.g., leeward side of Maidan plateau, Rayalaseema, Telangana regions of Andhra Pradesh, and Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra.
• Conditions of moderate drought: Prevails over 46% of total drought-prone areas, e.g., Orissa, central-north Madhya Pradesh, Chhotanagpur, Jammu and Kashmir, and central-east Tamil Nadu.

2. Important drought events

• Drought in Telangana in 2017: All lakes dried up, causing a shortage of drinking water.
• Drought and water crisis in TN 2017.
• Maharashtra drought: Especially severe in the Marathwada region.

Causing Factors of Drought

1. Natural

• Scanty rainfall: Wide variations in distribution have led to chronic drought.
• Air circulation and weather patterns: Key events like El Niño or La Niña contribute to drought in various areas. The water present today is stored in the air or on land, and weather patterns move this water in the air around, constantly changing conditions.
• Soil moisture levels: When soil moisture is depleted, there is less evaporation of water to create clouds. Surface temperatures rise, more water is needed, and less is available, contributing to more severe droughts.
• Changes in surrounding ocean temperature: The temperatures of the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans have increased, resulting in a smaller temperature gap between land and ocean, reducing monsoon rains.

2. Anthropogenic Factors

• Overexploitation of groundwater resources: In various states, the water table has been decreasing by nearly 4 m per year, particularly during the pre-monsoon season.

• Faulty cropping systems: Lead to excessive water wastage, such as during rice sowing when fields are flooded.

• Unsuitable cropping: Involves growing crops that do not align with the agro-climatic conditions of a region.

• Example: Sugarcane farming in Central India, rice cultivation in Punjab and Haryana.

• Increasing urbanization: Has resulted in the indiscriminate use of water by urban centers.
• Excess water demands: The global human population continues to grow, and intensive agricultural practices require more water, leading to an increasing frequency of droughts.
• Lack of water storage structures: Causes water from monsoon rains to wash away, and natural water storage structures are often destroyed due to encroachment.
• Deforestation and soil degradation: The disappearance of forests and vegetation reduces the availability of water to feed the water cycle, making regions more susceptible to drought.
• Dam building: Large dams constructed across rivers to produce electricity and store water can reduce downstream river flow, causing droughts in those areas.
• Climate change: The monsoon pattern continues to become erratic due to global warming.

Impacts of Drought

1. Environmental:

• Affect biodiversity: Seasonal rivers and water holes dry up, leading to the death of organisms that rely on them for water.
• Damage to natural vegetation and ecosystems: Prolonged droughts can result in forest fires.
• Increased air and water pollution: Less water and moisture in the atmosphere lead to higher dust levels and water pollution through salinity.
• Desertification: Aging water bodies can ultimately become deserts.

2. Geography:

• Farming issues: Increased soil erosion makes the land less fertile, posing long-term challenges for farmers.
• Moisture stress: Crops suffer when water within plant cells drops below normal levels, affecting the overall crop yield.
• Soil erosion: Excessive dryness can lead to increased soil erosion, with eroded materials washing into rivers or water holes, causing contamination.

3. Social: 

• Drinking water shortage: During prolonged droughts, clean and safe drinking water becomes scarce and is the first to be affected.
• Malnutrition: Water is essential for nutrition intake, and its scarcity can lead to malnutrition.
• Poor Hygiene: Water is crucial for maintaining hygiene levels.
• Bad Health: Scarcity of water forces people to consume contaminated water, leading to the spread of water-borne diseases.
• Migration: Drought acts as a push factor, leading populations to migrate.
• Increased Stress and Morbidity: Areas suffering from water shortages experience higher stress and morbidity levels.
• Social Strife: Drought can cause social tension among different groups, observed worldwide, particularly in Africa.
• Hunger and famine: Crop failures and livestock deaths among subsistence farmers can lead to famine and hunger.

4. Economic: 

• Production losses in agriculture: Prolonged droughts result in crop loss due to water shortages.
• For example: High cases of farmer suicides in Marathwada and Saurashtra regions.
• Loss of income: Reduces the purchasing power of those who depend on agriculture.
• Loss of commercial cropping: Commercial farms growing cash crops (e.g., cotton) may lose income, causing unemployment.
• Multiplier effect: Drought impacts other sectors dependent on agriculture for raw materials.
• Death of cattle: Water shortages lead to the large-scale death of cattle and other livestock.

Drought Management Framework in India

1. Institutional Mechanisms:

• Drought Management Group: Coordinates efforts to deal with drought across states.
• National Disaster Management Cell: Monitors drought conditions in different states and assesses resource availability.
• National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System: Provides scientific data at district and sub-district levels in several states.

2. Drought-Prone Area Development Programme and Desert Development Programme:

• Plans are created based on integrated assessments.
• IMD and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting provide meteorological information to support drought preparedness and early warnings.

3. National Water Policy of 2012:

• Advocates for using scientific inputs to promote alternative agricultural methods and enhance soil and water conservation to manage droughts.

3. Monitoring

• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for monitoring and managing drought conditions.
• Agency: The IMD (India Meteorological Department) is designated for providing early drought warnings and forecasting.
• Forecasting: The MoES (Ministry of Earth Sciences), in collaboration with ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), has set up 89 centers for short and medium-range weather monitoring and forecasting.
• National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System: Developed by the Department of Space, this system uses satellite data to monitor vegetation cover and assist in drought assessment through comparative evaluation.
• Key Drought Indicators: Rainfall, reservoir storage levels, surface and groundwater levels, sowing in drought conditions, and hydrological data.

Government Steps for Mitigating Drought Due to Agriculture

1. Drought Proofing Measures:

• Irrigation: The most effective drought-resistance strategy, crucial for agricultural stability.
• Construction of storage dams.
• Early completion of irrigation projects through technical and financial assistance via schemes such as:
  • Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme.
  • Command Area Development and Water Management Programme.
  • Repair, Renovation, and Restoration of water bodies.

2. Schemes:

• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojana: Introduced to expand irrigated land and ensure a year-round water supply to farmers.
• Krishi Amdani Beema Yojana: Aimed to protect farmers from financial burdens in case of crop destruction due to unforeseen events.
• Soil health card scheme: Assesses the current soil status and recommends nutrients to improve farm productivity.
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana: Provides a cost-effective crop insurance scheme to mitigate financial stress, addressing rising farmer suicides.

International Frameworks for Mitigation

• Integrated Drylands Development Programme: Launched by the UNDP to strengthen resilience against poverty and manage land sustainably in drylands.
• Drought Risk Reduction Framework: The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) developed an integrated approach for drought management, applicable at both higher and local levels.
• Integrated Drought Management Programme: Implements the pillars of drought management, focusing on:
• Drought monitoring and early warning systems to assess drought status.

• Vulnerability and impact assessment helps determine who and what are at risk and why.
• Mitigation, drought preparedness, and response aim to set out actions and measures to reduce drought impacts and prepare for emergencies.

FLASH DROUGHT

• Flash drought: A long dry spell with significantly low precipitation during the monsoon, leading to increased air temperature and rapid soil moisture depletion.
• News: Recent studies indicate that India could experience more flash droughts by the end of this century.
• Incidence: In 1979, India suffered a severe flash drought affecting about 40% of the country and causing an agricultural loss of approximately ₹5,000 crores.
• Occurrence: Flash droughts can occur during the monsoon season, often due to breaks in the monsoon or delayed summer onset.
• Duration: While typical droughts develop over months, flash droughts can occur within weeks and last for months.

• Factors:
• Atmospheric anomalies (variations) and anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
• Ongoing climate change increases global temperatures, potentially causing more flash droughts.
• Concerns: The increased frequency of flash droughts may impact crop production, irrigation, and groundwater abstraction in India.
• Suggestions: Achieving the Paris Agreement goals and limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius could reduce the frequency of projected flash droughts.

Way Forward

• Adoption of micro-irrigation techniques by farmers: These systems should be subsidized to become affordable for small and marginal farmers.

• Stringent application of water harvesting: Implementation should extend from individual efforts to community and village levels.
• Seechwal model: Useful for water management in water-deficit areas, currently being implemented along the Ganga.
• Wastewater recycling facilities: Essential in urban and industrial centers for non-drinking purposes.
• Agricultural practices should focus on “more crop, per drop”: Government support via Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and the Soil Health Card scheme should reach all gram panchayats.
• Agro-climatic basis for crop selection: Promoting this through adjusted Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the government.