Mitigation, Preparedness & Response

Drought mitigation, preparedness and response comprise the appropriate measures and actions aimed at reducing the vulnerability to drought and reducing the impacts of droughts. The goal of the pillar on drought mitigation, preparedness and response is to determine appropriate mitigation and response actions aimed at risk reduction, the identification of appropriate triggers to phase in and phase out mitigation actions, particularly short-term actions, during drought onset and termination and, finally, to identify agencies or ministries or organizations to develop and implement mitigation actions.

The measures can be subdivided into long-term, medium-term or short-term options. Long-term measures are normally included in the development strategies of the concerned sectors; hence, revisiting these strategies to ensure their alignment with drought risk management is an important step when developing a National Drought Management Policy. Medium-term measures are implemented in a timely manner, prior, during and after drought, based on triggers provided by monitoring and Early Warning Systems (Pillar 1). Emergency response measures are implemented if a severe drought occurs with a view to responding to basic needs of the population affected, while contributing to long-term development.

From: WMO/GWP 2018 (not yet published)

Examples

The list below provides some examples of drought preparedness, response and recovery measures that could be included in a National Drought Policy or Plan. The compilation is not exhaustive and should be adapted to local needs as well as integrated with community knowledge. (Source: M Bazza, FAO)

Preparedness: Long Term Measures

Water resources
Enhancing supply	Storage capacity increase Water transfers Locating new potential resources Aqueducts and canals Groundwater recharge Small scale water collection/harvesting Adjusting legal and institutional framework Artificial precipitation Desalination of brackish & saline Water treatment & reuse of wastewater/recycling
Improving demand management (in all sectors/uses)	Reducing use Reducing losses Reviewing water allocation Monitoring, metering, forecasting Conjunctive use (surface-groundwater) Reviewing education curricula Adopting/reviewing water tariffs Adjusting legal & institutional framework Voluntary insurance, pricing and economic incentives

Agriculture
Agricultural water management (complying with water resources strategy/plan)	Irrigation expansion if/where possible Improving demand management (more efficient systems) water loss reduction irrigation scheme modernization/conversion to more efficient systems shift to less water-demanding crops and cropping systems research of drought tolerant crops/species/genotypes adjusting cropping calendars to avoid heat stress use of non-conventional water resources deficit irrigation, supplementary irrigation conjunctive use of surface and groundwater soil water conservation practices adopting/reviewing water tariffs
Crop production	Breeding for drought tolerance species & adaptation to short season Cultural practices and techniques for conservation agriculture Proper fertilization No-till/reduced tillage systems Crop rotation/cropping systems Seeding rate/density Weeding/adapted pest management Mulching/adapted soil preparation Strip farming Crop insurance
Livestock	Drinking supplies Balancing livestock in irrigated areas Managing pasture and range supportive capacity Use of indigenous breeds of feed and fodder Genotypes of mammals / low water use Early information for pastoralists Forage reserves Non conventional fodder sources
Other sectors
Municipal water Health Food security Energy Transportation Tourism/Recreation Industry Forest/rangeland fires Education Environment Ecosystem services/ biodiversity

Preparedness: Short Term Measures/Mitigation

Water
Supply augmentation (all/specified sectors)	Mixing fresh & low quality waters Exploiting high-cost waters Adjusting legal and institutional framework Locating new standby resources (for emergency) Providing permits to exploit additional resources Providing drilling equipment
Demand management (all/specified sectors)	Restricting agricultural uses (rationing, subjecting certain crops to stress, …) Restricting municipal uses (lawn irrigation, …) Reviewing operations of reservoirs Diverting water from given uses Over-drafting aquifers (temporarily) Reviewing water tariffs Rationing water supply Sensitising and awareness campaign Adjusting legal and institutional framework Negotiating transfer between sectors Dual distribution networks for drinking water supply Adopting carry-over storage Conjunctive use
Measures other than supply and demand	Temporary reallocation of water (on basis of assigned use priority) Decreasing transport and distribution costs Banning/restricting uses Providing emergency supplies Elaborating set-aside regulations Inventory private wells, negotiate purchase of water rights for public use Elaborate regulations on water markets Assess vulnerability & advise water users Elaborate alert procedures
Agriculture
Crop Production	Supplementary irrigation where water can be mobilized and made available on short-term basis Soil water conservation practices Early warning, information and advice to farmers Review of fertilization program Soil mulching and crop shading Reducing crop density Weeding
Livestock, range and pasture lands	Early warning/advice to herders Destocking/incentives for owners to reduce Review available feed and reduce animal numbers Livestock transfer where/when possible Watering points/ water hauling sources Locating potential sites of water for emergency Constituting feed stocks Adjusting water salinity to tolerable levels Rapid inventory of grazing potential Protective (natural) shelters Alternative feed (by-products, less and unpalatable shrubs, …) Supplementary, substitute feeds

Response & Recovery

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