Description

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Source: OECD

Context

The Global Drought Outlook from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that droughts are happening more often and in more places around the world.

What is drought?

Droughts happen when there is a big difference in the amount of water in sources or reservoirs, and the weather is usually drier than normal."
Low rainfall is the main cause of these times, but high temperatures or strong winds can make them worse by speeding up water evaporation and human activities.

What is the Global Drought Outlook Report?

It looks at how countries can better handle droughts in order to adapt to a climate that is changing climate.
It gives us new information about how droughts are affecting people, the environment, and the economy. It also gives us policy suggestions for reducing losses, making things more resilient over time, and helping people adjust to a future with less rain.

Key Findings of the Report

Aspect	Details
Severity	40% of the world’s land area is facing increasingly frequent and severe droughts.
Recent Examples	Europe (2022), California (2021), Horn of Africa, Somalia.
Economic Impact	Economic cost of droughts increasing by 3% – 7.5% annually per drought episode.
Impact on Hydropower	Countries like India and Australia may face operational disruptions in hydroelectric power generation due to reduced water availability.
Transport Impact	Inland water transport affected; e.g., Panama Canal drought has disrupted shipping.
Agricultural Impact	Crop yields can decline by up to 22% due to drought conditions.
Soil Moisture	Since 1980, 37% of global land has experienced significant decline in soil moisture.
Groundwater Decline	62% of monitored aquifers globally show declining groundwater levels.

Initiatives taken

Level	Initiative	Details
Global	UNCCD’s Drought Initiative	Aims to support countries in developing national drought plans and building drought resilience.
	International Drought Management Programme (IDMP)	Jointly led by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Global Water Partnership (GWP); focuses on integrated drought preparedness and management.
India	National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS)	Uses remote sensing and GIS to monitor and assess agricultural drought in India.
	Watershed Development – Component of PMKSY (WDC-PMKSY)	Focuses on improving land and water resources for drought-prone areas through watershed development.
	Atal Bhujal Yojana	Aims at sustainable groundwater management through community participation in water-stressed regions.

Source: oecd.org

Practice Question:

Q. With reference to the Global Drought Outlook and its implications, consider the following statements:

Over 40% of the world’s land area is currently facing increasing frequency and severity of droughts.
The Panama Canal has recently faced disruptions due to prolonged drought conditions.
Droughts have no significant impact on hydroelectric power generation or inland water transport.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Answer:

A) 1 and 2 only

Explanation:

Statement 1: Correct – Reports indicate that over 40% of global land area is increasingly affected by drought.
Statement 2: Correct – Panama Canal has recently experienced reduced water levels due to drought, affecting global shipping routes.
Statement 3: Incorrect – Drought does impact hydroelectric power generation (e.g., in India and Australia) and inland water transport.