Resource information
Drought is a normal part of climate for
virtually every country. This paper notes that in response,
a risk-based management approach is more cost effective
because it emphasizes improved monitoring and early warning
systems; development of strong decision-support systems;
identification and implementation of mitigation actions;
education and training of policy makers, natural resources
managers, and the public; and drought mitigation plans that
reduce the most serious impacts. The paper concludes with
general recommendations that would benefit all sectors:
improving the reliability of seasonal climate forecasts and
increasing their use could improve decision making for water
management; establishing an automated weather station
network could provide end users with near-real time data to
improve decision-making; altering operating procedures for
water reservoir management and augmenting water storage
capacity of surface and subsurface systems could improve
drought coping capacity; improving information delivery
systems and providing technical assistance could improve
decision making by government officials, agricultural
producers, and water managers during droughts and help
create the necessary infrastructure; and improving water
conservation practices for domestic and agricultural sectors
during drought and non-drought periods and monitoring the
effects of drought on water quality for both surface and
groundwater supplies would help to mitigate risks overall.
