Agricultural drought assessment: Operational approaches in india with special emphasis on 2012

Abstract

Drought is a condition of moisture deficit sufficient to have an adverse effect on vegetation, animals and human being over a sizable area. In the past, India has experienced 24 large scale droughts in 1891, 1896, 1899, 1905, 1911, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1941, 1951, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1974, 1979, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2009 and 2012 with increasing frequencies during the periods 1891-1920, 1965-1990 and 1999-2012. During 1900-2012, 14 droughts have occurred, with 1,061 million people affected and 2,441 million dollar economic loss (Source: EMDAT). Drought can have economic, environmental and social impacts. Droughts are very different from the more attention grabbing hazards such as tsunamis and earthquakes in a variety of significant ways. It differs from other disasters, in following aspects (DAC 2009):.