GEOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT

PAPER NAME – DISASTER

RISK REDUCTION

NAME
NAME– RIDHA MK MK
- RIDHA
ROLL
ROLLNONO
-1146
– 1146
COURSE
COURSE– BA– PROGRAMME
BA PROGRAMME
SEMESTER
SEMESTER-6 -6
Q) Write a detailed note on drought disaster in India. Critically examine its impact on various
sections of society

Introduction
Drought can be defined in many ways, such as ‘a period of dry weather’, a condition
of abnormally dry weather resulting in a serious of hydrological imbalance, with consequences such
as losses of standing crops and shortage of water needed by people and livestock’, and ‘a creeping
situation of scarcity without recharging of resources’. According to the McGraw-Hill Concise
Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, drought is a general term implying a deficiency of
precipitation of sufficient magnitude to interfere with the same phase of the local economy. Crop
failure due to lack of rain is the most common form of drought. Droughts are categorized in several
ways as we have various measures to identify drought conditions in a particular space and time. The
meteorological drought, which is the most widely accepted, is based on the degree of dryness and the
duration of dry period. Hydrological drought conditions occur when there is a significant depletion
of surface water causing very low stream flow and acute drying of lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and
rivers. When inadequate soil moisture produces severe crop stress and affects crop productivity
adversely is called agricultural drought. Ecological drought occurs when the primary productivity of
natural or managed ecosystems declines drastically due to reduced precipitation in a long run. Socio-
economic droughts are the aggregate of all the above droughts when precipitation is not adequate to
meet the needs of human activities.
Among the different natural hazards, drought is one of the most disastrous as it
inflicts untold numerous miseries on human societies. Drought occurs in nearly all climatic zones of
the world at one time or other, but this creeping phenomenon mostly affects the tropics and adjoining
regions. Its beginning is subtle and difficult to be precisely identify because of lack of sharp
distinction from non-drought dry spells. As a disaster, it is experienced only after it has occurred.
The termination of drought is, on the contrary, easily recognizable, associated as it is, with the
occurence of precipitation. Drought brings about long-term socio-economic setbacks to communities
or nations unfortunate enough to endure them. These hazards reverse the development process,
create health problems, encourage unsocial behavior, demoralise the people, and leads to migration,
thus exporting conflict and resentment to the neighborhood regions. The vast Indian landmass
extends from near the equator to extra-tropics and has not remained unaffected by the incidence of
drought. This phenomenon has become more frequent after 1965. Naturally, the study of monsoon
features and consequent drought has attracted the attention of Indian Meteorologists for a long time.

South-West Monsoon in India and drought occurrence

There are parts of country suffering from drought even in the best of the monsoon years or
sometimes drought occuring in the usually very rainy northeastern states of the country. Several
attempts have been made by government agencies and by scholars to identify Drought Prone Areas
(DPAs) on the basis of parameters such as rainfall characteristics, evaporation profiles, and moisture
storage capacity of soils of different regions of the country. As rainfall deficiency is the main cause
of drought, most studies have attempted to delineate DPAs on the basis of rainfall data taking into
account not only the total rainfall but also the associated parameters such as the time variation of
rainfall. The Indian sub-continent experiences an average annual rainfall of around 1,200 mm and its
water resources are enormous. India gets abundant rainfall through S–W monsoon and it is 70–75%
with largest number of rainy days between June and September every year. The rainfall distribution
varies widely as some areas are ever arid and some receive excess rains. The regions that receive
largest quantity on annual rainfall are the slopes of Western Ghats (8,500mm) and North-Eastern
states (10,000mm) of India. During this season, the lowest quantity (200-350mm) of rainfall is
received in Rajasthan and adjacent parts of other states. The variation from year to year also exists as
the rainfall causes floods in one year and drought during next year. Failure of S–W monsoon rainfall
or its receipt in lesser quantities is a frequent phenomenon in India, which results in drought and
distress very often. Experts argue that there appears to be a direct correlation between “El Nino” and
“La Nina” events and the weakening of the monsoon. The drought disaster in its severe form can
cover any part of the country including or excluding the drought-prone areas, as it has been observed
in the past (Table 1). Drought remains a recurring phenomenon in certain regions of India, with
approximately 28% of the cultivated land being vulnerable to drought conditions. The drought-prone
areas are identified based on moisture index.

Table 1. Identification of drought-prone areas

Moisture Index Climatic zone Per cent area of India

<-66.7 Arid 19.6

-66.7 to -33.3 Semi-arid 34.0

-33.2 to 0 Dry sub-humid 21.1

0 to +20 Moist sub-humid 10.2

+20.1 to +99.9 Humid 7.8

> +100 Per-humid 8.3

Source: Khanna and Khanna (2011)

Impact of Drought on various sections of the society

The impact of a drought on the overall economy of the country is evident both at the
macro and micro levels. It is either direct or indirect and varies in nature and intensity. The majority
of farmers in the country follow rainfed farming. In India, about 60% of the total net sown area
comes under rainfed lands. The more prolonged the duration of drought and the greater the frequency
of consecutive droughts, the more significant the impacts on agriculture, ecology, and the economy
will be. Droughts impact the poor, landless laborers, and marginalized communities in multiple
ways. Droughts also have a severe impact on specific social groups such as women, children, and
households belonging to scheduled castes and tribes, who are already marginalized. Women are
closely involved in tasks related to securing fuel, fodder, and water for their households. However,
during periods of drought, these responsibilities become even more crucial as the availability of these
resources diminishes. As drought conditions intensify, water sources dry up, vegetation becomes
scarce, and firewood becomes harder to find. Women must travel longer distances to find water,
often spending hours each day carrying heavy containers back to their homes. The search for fodder
for livestock becomes increasingly challenging, forcing women to venture further into degraded
landscapes in search of suitable feed.
A crucial issue related to droughts is the significant gender differences in their impact on
livelihood activities. According to a study conducted by the United Nations Development
Programme on the effects of drought, women, as the primary caregivers for their children,
experience greater concerns and impacts related to food insecurity compared to men. However,
droughts can also have a significant psycho-social impact on women. In regions prone to drought, a
decrease in both the amount and regularity of food consumption is widespread. Research has shown
a significant decline in food quality, an unbalanced diet, and a reduction in the consumption of
essential items such as milk and vegetables, leading to negative health consequences for women and
children. Studies examining the effects of drought on children indicate that infants face a greater
risk of heat strokes during prolonged dry periods. Furthermore, the scarcity of clean water sources
during droughts increases the risk of children, particularly infants, contracting diarrhea from
consuming contaminated water. This not only exacerbates dehydration but also poses a significant
health threat to young children living in areas affected by drought.
Pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people from deprived social groups are more
vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies because of drought. The escalation of food costs and income
decline during droughts significantly diminishes the purchasing power of individuals, particularly the
economically disadvantaged. Consequently, those living in poverty are compelled to adopt
subsistence diets, resulting in severe deficiencies in vital micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron, folic
acid, zinc, and vitamin C during drought situations. During droughts, the scarcity of food presents a
health threat to pregnant women and mothers, as well as their unborn children. Insufficient
nourishment and lack of adequate antenatal care adversely affect pregnant women, resulting in
higher rates of maternal mortality. Poor diet in the early years can have life-long consequences for
the young. Diarrhea and acute respiratory illnesses are the top causes of death among children under
five in India. When drought occurs and access to healthcare diminishes, the consequences for
affected children become more severe.
The experience of different farm households in times of drought will be determined
by their ownership of assets, access to incomes from other sources, and the extent to which these
assets and incomes are less affected by drought than are harvested. The most vulnerable amongst
those hit by drought will be those with few assets of value to sell, those who most need to purchase
grain due to an absence of their own household reserves, and those who cannot gain access to food
through other means, like borrowing, coercion or theft. Numerous farmers find themselves in
comparable circumstances, compelled to sell or mortgage their land, jewelry, and personal
belongings in order to increase their ability to acquire food items. A typical rural household in India
spends about 15% of its annual income on celebrating festivals. But, drought mostly affected the
income of low-income farmers forcing them to reduce their expenses on festivals, which has a
negative impact on social life and mental health. There was a notable disparity in the perception of
water conflicts within society due to drought, based on the educational level of farmers. Famers with
lower levels of education reported that water scarcity driven by drought led to conflicts in society.
Due to reduced income and social status farmers become mentally depressed, which ultimately ends
in suicide.
Conclusion

Droughts disrupt the availability of water for agricultural activities, food production,
and natural resource management, leading to severe economic repercussions that place livelihoods
and finances under prolonged strain. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to the
devastating effects of drought, facing increased risks of malnutrition and illnesses such as anemia,
dysentery, and malnutrition. These factors contribute to visible and enduring poverty in the affected
regions. Droughts widen existing inequalities, perpetuate poverty, and have a lasting impact on
women'sano and children’s lives. Policies aimed at eliminating drought should prioritize addressing
the challenges faced by women and children. Previous studies on the impacts of drought have
revealed that in rural India, pregnant women and children, particularly those from lower caste
groups, are disproportionately affected due to malnutrition. Malnutrition during pregnancy, can lead
to irreversible harm to the child's health and have negative consequences on health, education, and
livelihood outcomes later in life.