Drought in Numbers, 2022 Report: UNCCD
Recently, the report ‘Drought in Numbers 2022’ has been released at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP-15) to the United Nations Convention on Prevention of Desertification (UNCCD).
In this report, drought and its effects on life and livelihood have been analyzed in 196 countries of the world. Also, a ‘Global Drought Vulnerability Index’ has also been released as part of this assessment.
Key findings of the report-
- Since the year 2000, the number and duration of droughts has increased by 29%.
- Weather, climate and water related hazards 50% of disasters and
- Disasters have been responsible for 45% of deaths.
- Drought accounts for only 15% of natural disasters. But, during the year 1970 to 2019, maximum people died due to this.
- From 1998 to 2017, the world has suffered an economic loss of about US$ 124 billion due to drought.
- In the year 2022, more than 2.3 billion people are facing water related crisis.
Findings for India-
- About two-thirds of the country has been affected by drought during the year 2020-2022.
- Geographically, India’s drought vulnerability has been compared to the drought vulnerability of Sub-Saharan Africa.
- India’s GDP has decreased by 2 to 5 percent during the years 1998 to 2017 due to severe drought.
- More than 68% of India’s area is vulnerable to drought. Additionally, a NITI Aayog report states that about two lakh people die annually in India due to inadequate water and inadequate sanitation.
Measures taken to reduce drought in India-
- Integrated Watershed Management Program (IWMP) has been initiated for the development of rainfed/depleted areas and barren lands.
- To deal with disasters like floods and droughts under the National Water Policy 2012. The emphasis is on preparedness.
- The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has released the desertification and land degradation atlas of India.
- The objective of Jal Jeevan Mission is to ensure availability of drinking water in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality.
Source – The Hindu
