Manual for drought management, 2016

This 2016 version of the Drought Management Manual is a guide for governments and agencies in India engaged in the prevention, mitigation and management of drought. This guide, updated from the 2009 version, seeks to gain from the knowledge and experiences of the past seven years. 

This guide describes vulnerable areas and drought hotspots in India and emphasises the regions' need for better planning and implementation of drought risk reduction interventions. It offers suggestions for the creation of institutional structures in the Central and State Governments for better drought management. The guide also introduces new scientific indices and parameters, such as hydrological indicators, for more accurate assessment of drought. Contextual asymmetries among states that might have a bearing on drought (e.g. extent of irrigation coverage) have also been factored in while suggesting a methodology for the determination of drought severity.

This guide also offers a quick and time-bound sample field survey for the confirmation of the technical indicators of drought, in order to secure a holistic understanding of the ground realities. The revised guide prescribes timelines for the declaration of drought and follow-up actions, and discusses response mechanisms and mitigation strategies in the context of existant government programmes and schemes for drought management.