Drought preparedness in Kerala: A comprehensive assessment with respect to climate change

Droughts affect almost all the sectors of the society including water resources and agriculture. India is among the most vulnerable drought prone countries. These droughts risks are progressively going to increase with increased temperatures due to climate change. In the project an assessment would be made of climate change impacts of retrospective and future droughts in Kerala. A probabilistic assessment of drought risks due to climate change over Kerala based on multiple Global Circulation Model (GCM) simulations and emission scenarios will be conducted. Drought characteristics such as intensity, duration and frequency for the growing and non-growing seasons will also be studied. Further, preparedness of the state with respect to future climate change will also be assessed in the sectors of water resources and agriculture. Recommendations against present drought management and adaptation policies will be made towards the goal of building drought resilience for the future.