Integrated Monitoring and Analysis of Meteorological, Agricultural and Hydrological Droughts in the Ganga Basin in India

Drought remains one of the most catastrophic natural disasters, exacerbated by global warming and affecting water resources, agriculture, and natural ecosystems. This research aims to understand the characteristics and impacts of drought in the Ganga River Basin using a combination of meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological drought indices that were generated from remote sensing data. By employing indices such as the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Standardized Soil Moisture Index (SSI), and GRACEderived Drought Severity Index (DSI), we comprehensively analyze drought types and their interrelationships. Using time series and spatio-temporal analysis, we tried to investigate the onset, duration, and drought severity for different drought types. This was done to identify patterns of drought propagation from meteorological to agricultural and then to hydrological droughts. The study findings show significant correlations between SPI, SSI, and GRACE-DSI “at different time lags”, which indicates the transition phase from meteorological to agricultural and hydrological droughts. Severe drought events identification was also done, and highest drought severity was estimated in 2016. Spatial analysis depicts the southwestern Ganga Basin experiencing the most extreme drought conditions. These insights into drought propagation and severity contribute to enhancing drought management and water resource planning in the Ganga River Basin.