Developments in hydrological drought studies

Abstract

The occurrence of drought in India is not a recent phenomenon. The regular monitoring of rainfall in the country started in 1875 with the Indian Meteorological Department. Reliable information documents reveal that since 1800 there have been around 40 droughts in the country with varying degree of severity. Since the hydrological drought studies is a newly developed field and has come out of the meteorological drought (National Commission on Agriculture, 1976), the work is not available in this particular field. The research covering the area of meteorological drought is also not much available. However the data collected by IMD before independence were analysed (Dhar, O.N. et.al,) after independence giving detailed information of meteorological droughts starting since 1800.