Drought Management in India: Causes, Impacts and UPSC Notes (UPSC Environment)

Drought is a prolonged period of below-normal water availability that damages crops, depletes groundwater and creates hardship for communities. About 68 percent of India's cropped area is vulnerable to drought. Unlike cyclones or earthquakes, droughts develop slowly and affect entire districts or regions rather than specific sites, which makes them politically and economically complex to manage. For UPSC aspirants, drought management is a recurring GS Paper III theme on disaster management, agriculture and climate adaptation.

Types of drought

• Meteorological drought: Significant deficit in rainfall relative to long-term average. India's Drought Manual 2016 (updated 2020) defines it as 25 percent or more rainfall deficit.
• Agricultural drought: Soil moisture falls below the level needed for crop growth. Depends on rainfall, evapotranspiration and crop water demand.
• Hydrological drought: Surface and groundwater levels fall significantly below normal, affecting rivers, lakes and aquifers.
• Socio-economic drought: When the supply of some economic good is reduced because of drought conditions, affecting livelihoods, prices and welfare.

Impact of drought

Ecological and environmental impact

• Adverse effect on groundwater recharge, soil moisture and surface run-off.
• Rivers, lakes, ponds and reservoirs tend to dry up; wells and tube wells become unserviceable because of declining water tables.
• Loss of forest cover, migration of wildlife and sharpening of human-animal conflict. General stress on biodiversity.
• Reduced stream flow and loss of wetlands may increase salinity in coastal areas.
• Reduced groundwater recharge damages aquifers and affects water quality (salt concentration, acidity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity), potentially causing permanent loss of biological productivity of soils.

Economic impact

• Indian agriculture is largely dependent on monsoon; about two-thirds of arable land is rainfed. Drought causes production losses in agriculture and allied sectors: animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, horticulture and fisheries. Cultivated area declines.
• Industries dependent on the primary sector for raw materials suffer from reduced supplies and rising prices.
• Purchasing power declines.
• Employment falls in rural areas.
• Distress sale of cattle, loss of livestock.
• Distress sale and mortgage of land, jewellery and personal property.
• Hydroelectricity generation is adversely impacted during drought.

Social impact

• Stress migration disrupts rural society. School dropout rates rise.
• Greater immiseration and indebtedness.
• Alienation of land and livestock assets.
• Malnutrition and starvation.
• Loss of social status among the most vulnerable sections.
• Scarcity exacerbates social tensions and erodes social capital.
• Diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera and ophthalmia spread because of malnutrition and contaminated water.
• Low morale, rise in fatalism and superstition.

Causes of recurrent droughts in India

Recurrence of drought in India is owed largely to the country’s unique physical and climatic susceptibilities.

• Low average annual rainfall: 75 cm or less over 33 percent of cropped area.
• Limited irrigation coverage: Complete dependence of agriculture on rainfall in such areas.
• Seasonal concentration of rainfall: 73 percent of annual rainfall is concentrated in less than 100 days during the south-west monsoon.
• Uneven distribution: Excess water that could have contributed to natural resilience is lost as runoff because of lack of storage.
• Over-exploitation of groundwater and sub-optimal surface water storage: Inadequate water availability for irrigation. Per capita water availability is declining even in non-drought years.
• Pressure on peripheral regions: Out-migration of cattle and animals from drought-hit areas heightens pressure on surrounding regions.
• Climate change: Warmer temperatures raise evapotranspiration and shift rainfall patterns.

Drought management strategy in India

The Manual for Drought Management (first 2009, revised 2016 and further updated in 2020) guides operational response.

Gathering information for decision-making

Meteorological, hydrological and agricultural information from ground-based and satellite observations. Key sources:

• India Meteorological Department (IMD): Rainfall data, weather forecasts.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): Crop condition and soil moisture.
• Central Water Commission (CWC): Reservoir levels and stream flow.
• National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC): Satellite monitoring under NADAMS.
• Department of Science and Technology (DST): Climate research.

Policies and institutional framework

• Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC-GOI) as nodal agency.
• Drought indicators and criteria used for declaration.
• National Crop Forecast Centre (NCFC), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).
• National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS).
• Communication through newspapers, radio, TV, internet and bulletins.

Risk management measures

• Preparedness and monitoring.
• Early Warning Systems and Contingency Plans.
• Mitigation strategies: agricultural, hydrological and socioeconomic.

Effective and consistent action

• Drought declaration (by states based on manual indicators).
• Immediate relief.
• Loss estimation.
• Mobilisation of funding.
• Administration of relief.
• Long-term measures: Early Warning Systems, drought-resistant technology, improved water management, afforestation, livelihood sustenance programmes, crop and livestock insurance.

Mitigation measures

Rainwater harvesting and efficient use

• Rainwater harvesting structures, farm ponds, percolation tanks.
• Micro-irrigation systems (drip, sprinkler).
• Watershed development under PMKSY.

Suitable crops and cropping systems

• Drought-tolerant varieties, seed banks, seed treatment.
• Intercropping, agroforestry.
• Crop diversification towards millets, pulses and oilseeds.
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana for organic farming.

Farm mechanisation

• Custom hiring centres.
• Labour-sharing mechanisms.
• Suitable implements for rainfed farming.

Water-saving technologies

• Drip and sprinkler irrigation.
• Organic manure with gradual reduction of chemical fertilisers.
• Mulching, crop rotation and bio-pest control.

Institutional measures

• Functional Drought Management Centre at state headquarters.
• Convergence with MGNREGA for drought-proofing works.
• Crop insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
• Soil Health Cards for targeted nutrient management.

Schemes and missions

• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): Per Drop More Crop, Watershed Development, Har Khet ko Pani.
• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: Rainfed Area Development, Soil Health Mission, Sub-Mission on Agroforestry.
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain: Pan-India water conservation.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana: Community-led groundwater management.
• PMFBY: Crop insurance with weather-based triggers.

Latest developments (2024-26)

• Drought Manual 2020 reaffirmed guidelines and updated remote sensing indicators.
• International Year of Millets (2023) led to the Shree Anna initiative for drought-tolerant millet cultivation.
• National Mission on Natural Farming (2024): Launched as Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati, promoting chemical-free agriculture that is typically more drought-resilient.
• PMFBY reforms (2024): Made voluntary for loanee farmers, with faster claim settlement.
• Climate smart villages: Expanded under ICAR's NICRA programme.
• COP29 Baku (2024): India emphasised drought as a priority adaptation area; sought more Loss and Damage Fund allocation.
• UNCCD COP16 Riyadh (December 2024): India pledged continued commitment to Land Degradation Neutrality and drought resilience.
• Amrit Sarovar: Exceeded 68,000 sarovars by late 2024, strengthening water storage in drought-prone districts.

UPSC Relevance

Prelims focus

• Types of drought: meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, socio-economic.
• Drought Manual 2016 (and 2020 update).
• NADAMS, NCFC, NCMRWF, CWC, ICAR.
• PMKSY, PMFBY, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
• National Mission on Natural Farming 2024.

Mains focus (GS III)

Typical question framings evaluate India's drought management architecture, climate change impacts, the role of crop diversification, and the effectiveness of crop insurance. Strong answers cite the Drought Manual, specific states with frequent drought, PMKSY components and international frameworks (UNCCD, Sendai).

Linkages

Drought management connects to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNCCD, SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 6, SDG 13, India’s updated NDCs after COP29, the Loss and Damage Fund, the Disaster Management Act 2005, the Draft National Water Policy and the Mihir Shah Committee recommendations.

PDF