WATER

Drought Monitoring & Flood Risk Management

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Today, droughts and floods are a common feature and their co-existence poses a potent threat, which cannot be eradicated but has to be managed. Transfer of the surplus monsoon water to areas of water deficit is a potential possibility. This would also help create additional irrigational potential, the generation of hydropower, as well as overcoming regional imbalances. The recurrence of drought and famines during the second half of the 19th century necessitated the development of irrigation to give protection against the failure of crops and to reduce large-scale expenditure on famine relief. The elements of drought characterization typically include drought type, frequency, duration, magnitude (including peak magnitude), severity, and areal extent of drought occurrence. Determining one definition of drought that can be considered comprehensive is complex.  Still, there is a need for the development of more accurate identification methods that are able to describe the evolution of drought conditions in space and time. Managing flood risk is the same as other forms of managing risk. It is about making judgments on what risks to reduce, to share with others, to transfer to others, to accept or to eliminate. One very effective way of managing future flood risk is by restricting development in the floodplain, as outlined by the government in Planning