.

Definition of drought, Causes of drought, measures for water conservation

and augmentation, drought contingency planning.

Water harvesting: rainwater collection, small dams, runoff enhancement,

runoff collection, ponds, tanks.
 Normal, recurrent feature of climate
 Occurs everywhere, vary from region to region.
 Originates from deficiency of precipitation.
 Impact on ecosystem and agricultural of affected
region.
 Drought leads to food insecurity, famine,
malnutrition, epidemics and displacement of
populations.
 Meteorological drought

 Agricultural drought

 Hydrological drought

 Socioeconomic drought
 Reduced rainfall results in drought.
 Occurs because water vapour not brought by air
currents to right areas at right times.
 Unusual currents of cold and warm water in oceans
creates high pressure. El Nino causes drought in Asia.
 Mountain prevent wind from blowing moisture to
needy region.
 In India when water vapour moves from east to west,
water vapour does not leave Indian ocean causes
drought.

 Human activity directly trigger over farming, excessive

irrigation, deforestation.

 Global warming result in rainfall in some areas and

drought in some areas.
 To provide contingency plans to manage drought and
emergency conditions.
 To continue to deliver a cost effective, adequate, safe
and reliable supply of water.
 The provision of credit or cash/food for work
 Maintaining water supply for animals and humans
 Maintaining cereal availability
 Human and livestock health service provision
 Support for private sector
 Provide fodder for affected stock
 Flexible taxation systems for affected people
Drought contingency planning allow for implementation
of :

 Mitigation

 Relief

 Rehabilitation
 Drought contingency planning for implementation:
 Overall drought policy, setting out plans objectives of
minimizing the impact of drought
 Set plans for specific mitigation, relief and
rehabilitation measures
 Construction of dams and additional reservoirs for
supply of water.
 Cloud seeding- artificial rain
 Desalination of sea water for irrigation or
consumption.
 Drought monitoring by total rainfall levels and total
usage levels
 Land use by carefully planned crop rotation
 Outdoor water use restriction
 Rainwater harvesting
 Recycled water
 Relief works
 Disease prevention and control
 Contingency planning done by Govt.
 Policy issues, national, regional and district level
 rural development infrastructure
 input supply, marketing and farm advisory services
 Non- Govt.
 NGO’S
 Rural institutions
 Private sectors
 It includes methods for providing an entirely new
supply of fresh water and techniques for increasing
utility of available supplies of water.
 New supply of water include weather modification.
 Weather modification done to increase precipitation
and decrease Evapotranspiration.
 Cloud seeding done to increase precipitation.
Available water supplies increased by conservation of
available water supplies.

 Agricultural water requirements can be reduced by

reducing conveyance losses, and discouraging wasteful
irrigation techniques.
 Technique should be developed to reduce water
consumption in home and industry.
 Evaporation losses from small reservoirs can be
reduced by providing roofs.
 Reclamation and reuse of waste water can be
encouraged.
 Evaporation loss in ground water is less. Use of
ground water storage reservoir in conjunction with
surface storage reservoirs.
 Infiltration losses can be reduced by sealing the soil
surface useful in arid regions.
 Water harvesting done by collecting from roof top,
pavements, constructing small storage.
Goals of water conservation efforts include:

 Sustainability- ensure availability for future

generations
 Energy conservation- world 15% energy production
dependent on water management.
 Habitat conservation- preserve fresh water habitat,
migrating waterfowl.
Benefits of water conservation:

 Save water save money.

 Reduction in excess water use reduce waste water
generation, reduce overflowing of gutter.
 Ecosystem and habitat protection.
 Helps in improving quality of drinking water.
gricultural (irrigation) conservation

 Improved irrigation methods such as sprinklers or

drip irrigation.
 Water required for agricultural considerably reduced
by reducing conveyance loss.
 Evaporation losses from small reservoirs can be
reduced by providing roofs over them.
 Use of lined canals which reduce seepage and
evaporation.
 Use of ground water storage reservoir in conjunction
with modern surface storage reservoirs to reduce
evaporation loss, in arid regions.
 Price agricultural water to encourage conservation.
 Infiltration losses reduced by sealing soil surface.
 Water harvesting in arid regions.
 For conservation of water the following structures
can be constructed:

 Earthen bund
 Gully plugging
 Check dam
 Khet talawadi
Earthen bund
Gully plugging
Check dam
Khet Talawadi
 Collection of rain water called water harvesting.
 Rainwater harvesting is accumulation and storing of
rainwater for reuse, before it reaches aquifer.
 Water collected from roofs of houses, schools, local
institutions make important contribution.
 Water collected from ground, called storm water
harvesting.
enefits of rainwater harvesting

 Increase water availability

 Checks declining water table
 Environmental friendly
 Improves water quality of ground water
 Surface water runoff conservation
 Prevents soil erosion and flooding in urban area
 ainwater harvesting technique

 Rainwater collection – Roof top rainwater harvesting

 Runoff collection – Surface runoff harvesting
 Recharge to ground water
 Runoff enhancement
 Rainwater captured from roof catchments and stored
in sub surface ground water reservoir.
 Objective is to make water available for future use.
 Useful in dry land, hilly, urban and costal areas.
Components of roof top rainwater harvesting

 a collection area
 a conveyance system
 storage facility
 a delivery system

 Storage reservoir expensive part, careful design and

construction required.
 First rainwater should be flushed or diverted.
 Surface runoff harvesting is traditional technique.

 Small dams, ponds, tanks are used.

 Used for irrigation, domestic, livestock use.

Small dams
 Small dams/check dams constructed in natural
channel to impound the runoff water up to certain
depth.
 Impounded water slowly infiltrate into soil and
recharge ground water.
Ponds and reservoirs
 Impounding type and dug-cut type ponds
constructed.
 In impounding type, a retaining wall or dam is
constructed to block the flow of water in a natural
storm.
 In dug-cut type area is excavated to store the runoff.

 Reservoirs requires water storage area, spillways and

earth embankment.
Storage tank
 Surface or above ground tank

 Subsurface or underground tank

Storage tanks require

 Solid secure cover

 Coarse inlet filter

 Overflow pipe

 Manhole, sump and drain to facilitate cleaning

 Outlet system, tap or pump

The structures generally used:
 Pits

 Trenches

 Dug well

 Hand pumps

 Recharge well

 Spreading techniques

 Underground reservoirs