Question

any case study on drought

Answer 1

Maharashtra, an Indian state, is facing one of the worst droughts in the past 40 years. Reports say severe droughts have prompted people to migrate to Mumbai and neighboring states of Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh from 3,905 villages in 12 districts of the state.

Districts of Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed and Osmanabad are reported to have only enough drinking water reserves to sustain through March. Impending summer will only worsen the situation and the state will have to transport water from neighboring districts and even by trains from other states, a high-ranking bureaucrat told Times of India.

According to the sources, water availability in dams is grim. On Thursday, March 7, Marathwada region had only 9% water left in dams as compared to 30% of previous year, whereas western Maharashtra is left with 32 percent stock against 40 per cent last year. State had called for Rs. 1801 crore (about $331.6 m) aid from the Central government, against which they were granted Rs. 807 crore (about $148.6 m) from the National Response Fund after an assessment by a central team of ministers (Empowered Group of Ministers) . An additional amount of Rs. 400 crore will be released under the National Horticulture Mission to 1,100 villages where drought has hit kharif crops.

On 12th March, 2013, in response to a petition filed against sand excavation in drought-stricken regions, The Bombay High Court issued orders to restrain any such allowances so as to avoid shortage of potable water for people and animals.

The state is the largest producer of sugarcane in the country, where sugar factories rely on groundwater for processing requirements. Experts say it further aggravates the drought problem that state faces at least once each decade. As a corrective measure, the state government has mandated drip irrigation for sugarcane cultivation.

Answer 2

1. DROUGHT 1Drought Indian case studies Indian case studies2.  Drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply whether surface or underground water. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm the local economy.  Many plant species, such as cacti, have adaptations such as reduced leaf area and waxy cuticles to enhance their ability to tolerate drought. Some others survive dry periods as buried seeds. Semi-permanent drought produces arid biomes such as deserts and grasslands. Most arid ecosystems have inherently low productivity. 2 We can feel the dryness in your throat. The land is barren and covered in thin dust. cracks appear in the earth. This is drought, when water is so scarce that the existence of life becomes threatened. How do humans effects from drought? INTRODUCTION Drought Indian case studies3.  Physical aspects also used to classify drought. They clubbed into three major groups:  Metrological  Agriculture  Hydrological 3Drought Indian case studies4.  1. Less rainfall:  2. High Air pressure: When there is high air pressure, air falls instead of rising. With the air pressing down in a high pressure zone, no currents of water vapor are carried upward. As a result, no condensation occurs, and little rain falls to earth.  3. Low air pressure: Low-pressure systems see more cloudy, stormy weather. Usually, however, we experience both high- and low-pressure systems.  4. Monsoon role: Usually, summer winds known as monsoons carry water vapor north from the Indian Ocean inland, providing desperately needed rain.  Sometimes, however, instead of blowing from north to south, they blow east to west. When that happens, the vapor doesn’t leave the Indian Ocean and many people suffer from the resulting droughts.  5. Water Vapor role: Droughts occur because water vapor is not brought by air currents to the right areas at the right times. Water that evaporates from the oceans is brought inland by wind to regions where it is needed. However, sometimes those winds are not strong enough. 4Drought Indian case studies5.  6. Moisture: In some states, moisture is carried up from the ocean by blowing winds. This moisture is then pushed by other winds until it reaches the location. However, if the winds don’t blow at the right time, in the right direction, or with enough force, the moisture falls in other areas and suffers from drought.  7. Mountains region wind: Mountains can prevent wind from blowing moisture to needed regions. As air is moving past a mountain range, it is forced to rise in order to pass over the peaks. However, as the air rises, it becomes colder and the vapor condenses into rain or snow.  When the air mass finally makes it over the mountain, it has lost much of its vapor. This is another reason why many deserts are found on the side of a mountain facing away from the ocean. This phenomenon is known as the rain shadow effect.  8. Rainfall pressure: Generally, rainfall is related to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, combined with the upward forcing of the air mass containing that water vapor. If either of these are reduced, the result is a drought. 5Drought Indian case studies6.  9. Global warming: Human activity can directly trigger exacerbating factors such as over farming, excessive irrigation, deforestation, and erosion adversely impact the ability of the land to capture and hold water.  10. Decline in groundwater : India has seen a sharp decline in groundwater levels, leading to a fall in supply, saline water encroachment and the drying of springs and shallow aquifers. Around 50% of the total irrigated area in the country is now dependent on groundwater, and 60% of irrigated food production depends on irrigation from groundwater wells.  11. Depletion of forest : The rapid depletion of forest cover is also seen as one of the reasons for water stress and drought. India has a forest cover of 76 million hectares, or 23% of its total geographical area – much lower than the prescribed global norm of 33%.  12. Rainwater harvesting : Combined with these and a host of other factors – poor irrigation systems, pressure from the increasing industrial use of water is the appalling indifference displayed towards rainwater harvesting. Little has been done over the years to drought- proof the country, when community based rainwater harvesting measures could easily accomplish this feat.. 