The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has initiated a innovative project. The organization, with the help of other UN bodies and experts, is developing an online web interface known as the ‘Drought Toolbox’. The purpose of this tool is to assess drought vulnerability in different geographical regions. It does so by using between 15 and 30 parameters. The aim is for countries to improve their readiness in dealing with drought situations.
The Inception of the Drought Toolbox
This project was proposed by countries during the previous Conference of Parties (CoP) meeting at the Ordos in China in 2017. The UNCCD has been collaborating with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in order to design the toolbox. The toolbox is meant to be a comprehensive resource for all matters related to drought preparedness.
Features of the Drought Toolbox
The toolbox is a one-stop digital platform that consists of various tools relevant to drought preparedness. These tools are organized under three main pillars:
1. Monitoring, early warning, and forecasting tools that can assist decision-makers.
2. Vulnerability assessment tools designed to pinpoint critical areas.
3. Risk mitigation tools that provide key policy and technical measures.
The process of declaring a drought is usually complex. However, this toolbox simplifies the process and allows countries to easily assess and evaluate drought vulnerability in their regions.
| Categories | Tool Types | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring and Forecasting Tools | Decision-making assistance | Evaluation of potential drought circumstances |
| Vulnerability Assessment Tools | Hotspot Identification | Detection of risk-prone regions |
| Risk Mitigation Tools | Policy and technical measures | Preparation and readiness for potential drought conditions |
Drought Declaration in India
In India, the concept of drought is generally associated with prolonged lack of rainfall or precipitation, creating water shortages that have a negative impact on vegetation, animals and people. However, at present, there is no universally accepted legal definition of drought in the country. Different states use their own definitions and the State Government has the final authority to declare a region as drought affected.
The Procedure for Declaring Drought in India
The Government of India has published two significant documents related to managing drought. The first stage in the process involves examining two essential indicators: rainfall deviation and dry spell. Depending on the degree of these deviations, different situations may or may not be considered as triggers for drought.
The second stage evaluates four impact indicators including agriculture, remote sensing based vegetation indices, soil moisture, and hydrology. Each impact is assessed through various indices. States can consider any three of these four types of Impact Indicators for assessing drought intensity. If all three chosen indicators fall in the ‘severe’ category, it implies severe drought. If two out of three chosen impact indicators are in the ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’ class, it denotes moderate drought.
The third and final step involves ground verification through sample surveys after both previous triggers have been set off. The findings of this field verification exercise forms the basis for judging the intensity of the drought as ‘severe’ or ‘moderate’. Once a drought is determined, the state government issues a notification specifying the geographical extent. The validity of this notification is six months unless de-notified earlier.