B.A.

(PROGRAM)

SEMESTER VI

DSE: DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (DRR)

UNIT 2: DROUGHTS IN INDIA

(CAUSES, IMPACT, DISTRIBUTION AND MAPPING)

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BASIC CONCEPTS
Drought is generally defined as “a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time
(usually a season or more), resulting in a water shortage.”

DEFINITION OF DROUGHT
Drought definitions are of two types:

1. CONCEPTUAL

Conceptual definitions help understand the meaning of drought and its effects. For example,
drought is a protracted period of deficient precipitation which causes extensive damage to
crops, resulting in loss of yield.

2. OPERATIONAL

Operational definitions help identify the drought's beginning, end, and degree of severity. To
determine the beginning of drought, operational definitions specify the degree of departure
from the precipitation average over some time period. This is usually accomplished by
comparing the current situation with the historical average. The threshold identified as the
beginning of a drought (e.g., 75% of average precipitation over a specified time period) is
usually established somewhat arbitrarily.

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HOW A DROUGHT STARTS?

TYPES OF DROUGHTS

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Diagrammatic representation of Types of Droughts

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 CAUSES OF DROUGHT

There are four major reasons for drought in India-

1. Delay in the onset of monsoon/ failure of monsoon,

2. Variability of monsoon rainfall,

3. Long break in monsoon and

4. Areal difference in the persistence of monsoon.

The variability in rainfall is a major cause of drought.

Broadly, the following are the causes of Droughts in India

 Monsoon Failure
 Delay in the onset of Monsoon

 Long Break in monsoon

 Change in the pattern of monsoon
 Variability and Erratic nature of monsoon
 Areal difference and uneven distribution of rainfall by monsoon

 Global Warming
Emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (burning of fossil fuels and dead and
decaying organisms, methane (volcanic eruption), chlorofluorocarbons (AC, Fridge) etc.

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 Overall, Global Warming will result in increased world rainfall along with drought in some
areas.

This has increased the average temperature and caused Climate Changes to the earth’s
atmosphere and also causes Drought.

 Change in Air circulation and Weather Patterns

If there is an above average presence of dry, high pressure air system, less moisture is
available to produce rain.
 Shifting of Air Mass

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 When wind shift air masses and warm, dry and continental air moves over and areas
as opposed to cooler, moist, oceanic air masses, the area suffers a drought situation.
 Human Activities
Deforestation for agriculture and settlements
Over farming/Intensive Agriculture

Excessive irrigation and construction of buildings

 Other factors include:

• Geographically rain deficient areas like western parts of India in the state of
Rajasthan where the Aravalli mountains lies parallel to the direction of south-
west monsoon, hence no rainfall occurring the region.

• Absence of mountain fronts in the western part of India

• Depletion in soil moisture.

• Rise in Temperature

• Changes in the cropping pattern in India

• Increasing water demand with limited supply

• El-Nino Effect

• Aggressive mining

IMPACTS/EFFECTS OF DROUGHT IN INDIA

Droughts have a wide range of effects on the masses in a developing country like India. The
impact of droughts is specifically conspicuous in view of the tropical monsoon character of
the country. Rainfall by the south-west monsoon is notorious for its vagaries.

The impact of droughts in India can be summed up under the following headings:

PHYSICAL IMPACT

1. Meteorological drought adversely affects the recharge of soil moisture, surface runoff
and ground water table. Soils dry up, surface runoff is reduced and ground water level
is lowered.
2. Rivers, lakes, ponds and reservoirs tend to dry up and wells and tube-wells are
rendered unserviceable due to lowering of the ground water table.

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AGRICULTURAL IMPACT

Indian agriculture still largely depends upon monsoon rainfall where about two-thirds of the
arable land lack irrigation facilities and is termed as rainfed. The effect is manifested in the
following manner:

1. Decline in Crop Production/Agricultural Produce (increase in the price of onions)

The direct impact of drought on Indian agriculture is decrease in crop (food grains,
cereals, oilseeds etc.), vegetables and fruit production. It also includes reduction of
farming and breeding production resulting in malnutrition and hunger; migrations of people
and wars. History is replete with examples of serious shortfall in cultivated areas and
drop in agricultural productivity.
2. Increasing Tendency of Suicide Rates
The drought in India has even led to increased suicide rates among crop growers (the
farmers of Maharashtra)
3. Shortage of Food Grains and Increase in global hunger due to crop failure and reduced
crop production.

Severe shortage of food-grains had been felt and the country had to resort to import of
food-grains to save the poor people from hunger and starvation. However, India has been
able to build a buffer stock of food–grains and threat from droughts is not as serious as
it used to be before the Green Revolution.

4. Decline in cultivated area (including crops and milk).

5. Suicidal tendency among farmers
6. Loss of livestock and farm animals due to scarcity of water.
7. Scarcity of drinking water and fodder.
8. Distress sale of cattle and loss of cattle life.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The environment is directly impacted by drought.

1. Drought can affect water sources, land, fish and wildlife and plant communities.
2. Wildlife habitat may become degraded because poor soil quality and inadequate
water may affect plant growth, and there may not be enough drinking water for
animals.

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 3. The soil starts drying out and plants die.
4. When this pattern continues for several weeks, months or years, the flow of streams
and rivers decreases and water levels in lakes, reservoirs and wells fall.
5. Drying up of Wetlands
6. Increase in wildfires

Eventually, the unusual dry weather causes water supply issues, and the dry period becomes
a drought.

Impact on Human Health

Health effects associated with drought episodes are principally indirect and include the
increased risk of infectious diseases and diarrheal pathologies, malnutrition, changes in the
ecology of vector-borne diseases, cardiorespiratory affectations, serious mental health
repercussions and greater risk of mortality.

Economic and Societal Impact

Social and economic impact of a drought is more severe than the physical and agricultural
impacts. A drought is almost invariably associated with famine which has its own social and
economic consequences.

Economic Impact include:

1. Migration of agricultural labours, casual workers and farmers from drought hit areas
to other areas in search of livelihood and food.
2. Dispute between river water over states.
3. Fall in employment in agricultural sector
4. Rise in inflation rate.
5. Reduced incomes,
6. Fall in purchasing power.
7. Distress sale and mortgage of land, jewellery and personal property.
8. Slowing down of secondary and tertiary activities due to fall in agricultural production
and decline in purchasing power.

Social Impacts of Drought include:

1. Low intake of food and widespread malnutrition.

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 2. Ill health and spread of diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera and opthalmia
caused by malnutrition, hunger and starvation.
3. Death due to malnutrition/starvation
4. anxiety or depression about economic losses,
5. Larger Ratio of School Drop-outs: Additionally, the heat wave and drought impact the
ability of Indian children to attend school. Schools in some areas have been shut down
due to excessive heat and lack of water.
6. conflicts when there is not enough water,
7. fewer recreational activities,
8. higher incidents of heat stroke, and even loss of human life.
9. Drought conditions can also provide a substantial increase in wildfire risk.
10. Low morale of the people.
11. Social stress and tension, disruption of social institutions and increase in social crime.
12. Growth of fatalism and belief in supernatural powers and superstitions.

The greatest impact of a drought is seen on the weaker sections of society. These include
landless labourers, small marginal farmers and artisans like weavers. Such people live in hand
to mouth economy and do not have enough stock to sustain in the event of a drought.

Whatever little stock they have, it is quickly exhausted and they are compelled to go in for
distress sale or mortgage their belongings to rich landlords. Thus, whereas a drought situation
brings miseries and sufferings for the poor people, the rich people take undue advantage of
the situation and exploit the poor people.

Often the poor becomes poorer and the rich becomes richer in a drought situation. A series
of bad harvest plunges the small and marginal farmers in a vicious circle of poverty making
them landless and penniless.

The money-lender charges high rate of interest and the inability of the farmer to repay the
loan compels them to forfeit their mortgaged property. In extreme cases, the farmers tend to
commit suicide. Cases of suicide by farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa,
Maharashtra and even in agriculturally rich states of Punjab and Haryana have been reported
from time to time.

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DISTRIBUTION AND MAPPING OF DROUGHTS

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MEASURES/STEPS TO PREVENT/TACKLE DROUGHT

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