DEFT: Drought Early Warning and ForecasT in the Human-Affected Arid Region​

Dr Saran Aadhar
Assistant Professor
Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur

The frequency and severity of droughts in Northwestern Rajasthan have increased in the last few decades due to climate change and are projected to increase in the future. A real-time drought early warning and forecast system is crucial to mitigate these impacts. However, the existing drought monitoring system (which simulates natural water systems) fails to accurately assess water stress and drought conditions due to large human activities (like canal irrigation) in the region. Therefore, an updated drought monitoring system is needed to incorporate these activities into drought monitoring, simulating human-natural systems to accurately assess water stress and drought conditions in the region.