Watershed is area of land from which water drains to particular

point/common point such as river, lake or stream wetland or

ocean
All land is the part of one watershed to another. Means
watershed is land and water area which contributes runoff to a
common point/ same place.
For example watershed of lake would not only include only
streams entering lake but also land area that drains to those
stream and eventually lake.
 Definition of Drought
• Simply drought can be defined as any unusual dry period which results in
a shortage of water.

• In Nepali it is called as khaderi, in Afghani wachkali, in Bhutanese char

koen and in hindi sukkah respectively.

• Drought is a period of below-average precipitation in a given region,

resulting in prolonged shortages in its water supply, whether atmospheric,
surface or ground water.

• A drought can last for months or years, or may be declared after as few as
15 days.

• It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the

affected region and harm to the local economy.
Concept
The traditional approach to drought as a phenomenon of arid and semi-
arid areas is changing in India too. Now, even regions with high rainfall,
often face severe water scarcities.
Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, one of the world’s highest rainfall areas,
with over 11,000 mm of rainfall, now faces drought for almost nine
months of the year.
On the other hand, the western part of Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan,
one of the driest parts of the country, is recording around 9 cm of
rainfall in a year.
Thus, drought is just not the scarcity or lack of rainfall, but an issue
related to water resource management.
Drought conditions have been widespread in North Africa, the Mid-
East, West Asian countries, India, China and have also known to occur
in North Central, and South America.
 Types of drought
a)Meterological Drought
Related to rainfall amounts(Prolonged peroid of less than average precipitation

b)Hydrological Droughts
Determined by the water levels in reservoir(Marked depletition of surface water causing very low stream flow,drying of lakes,river etc )

c) Agriculture droughts
Related by the availability of water for crops
DROUGHT MANAGEMENT
In order to solve the drought problem by mitigating the negative
impacts of possible droughts, drought management can be defined as
the combination of:

Determination of the measures to be taken

Before , During and After drought periods,

Preparation of action plans

Monitoring the application of these plans.

Causes of Drought:
• High Air pressure: When there is high air pressure, air falls instead of rising. With the air pressing down
in a high pressure zone, no currents of water vapor are carried upward. As a result, no condensation
occurs, and little rain falls to earth.
Monsoon role: Usually, summer winds known as monsoons carry water vapor north from the Indian
Ocean inland, providing desperately needed rain. Sometimes, however, instead of blowing from north
to south, they blow east to west. When that happens, the vapor doesn’t leave the Indian Ocean and
many people suffer from the resulting droughts.

• Water Vapor role: Droughts occur because water vapor is not brought by air currents to the right areas
at the right times. Water that evaporates from the oceans is brought inland by wind to regions where it
is needed. However, sometimes those winds are not strong enough.
• Moisture: In some states, moisture is carried up from the ocean by blowing winds. This moisture is then
pushed by other winds until it reaches the location. However, if the winds don’t blow at the right time
in the right direction, or with enough force, the moisture falls in other areas and suffers from drought.
• Global warming: Human activity can directly trigger exacerbating factors such as over
farming, excessive irrigation, deforestation, and erosion adversely impact the ability of
the land to capture and hold water.

 Decline in groundwater : India has seen a sharp decline in groundwater levels, leading
to a fall in supply, saline water encroachment and the drying of springs and shallow
aquifers. Around 50% of the total irrigated area in the country is now dependent on
groundwater, and 60% of irrigated food production depends on irrigation from
groundwater wells.
Depletion of forest : The rapid depletion of forest cover is also seen as one of the
reasons for water stress and drought. India has a forest cover of 76 million hectares, or
about 23% of its total geographical area – much lower than the prescribed global norm
of 33%.
Impacts..
• The impacts of drought are diverse and often ripple through the
economy. Thus, impacts are often referred to as either direct or indirect.
• A loss of yield resulting from drought is a direct or first-order impact of
drought. However, the consequences of that impact (for example, loss
of income, farm foreclosures, and government relief programs) are
secondary or even tertiary impacts.
• The impacts of drought that must be addressed can be classified into
three principal types: economic, environmental, and social.
• Economic Losses :
Economic impacts range from direct losses in the broad agricultural and
agriculturally related sectors (including forestry and fishing), to losses in
recreation, transportation, banking, and energy sectors.
Other economic impacts would include added unemployment and loss of revenue
to local, state, and federal government.

• Environmental Impacts:
Environmental losses include damages to plant and animal species, wildlife
habitat, and air and water quality; forest and range fires; degradation of landscape
quality; and soil erosion.
These losses are difficult to quantify, but growing public awareness and concern
for environmental quality has forced public officials to focus greater attention on
them.
• Social Impacts

Social impacts mainly involve public safety, health, conflicts between water users,
and inequities in the distribution of impacts and disaster relief programs.
DROUGHT MANAGEMENT
Drought Management System in India
Reported drought events in India over the past 200 years.
Percentage of Drought Affected Districts 2015-2016
References
• Management of drought by Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy
• Parthasarathi Committee Report (2006), Technical Committee of Deptt. of Land
Resources, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India.
• Report, Published by Orissa Watershed Development Mission, 2000-2007.