Risk & Impact Assessment

Risk and Impact Assessment

The goal of Risk and Impact Assessment (Pillar 2) is to determine the primary historical, current and, likely, future impacts associated with drought (impact assessment) and to assess the drought risk composed of hazard, exposure and vulnerability (including timescales of climate variability and change). A key to understanding risk is to explore the root cause of drought impacts, i.e, the vulnerability assessment.  Drought impact and risk assessment is directed at gaining an understanding of both the natural and human processes associated with drought and the impacts that occur.  An outcome of Pillar 2 is the creation of a risk profile for each sector, region, population group or community, i.e., hazard, exposure, and vulnerability mapping.

An archive of drought impacts that have occurred historically does not exist for the vast majority of countries.  However, an assessment of historical drought impacts is valuable information that supports the goals of Pillar 2.  Anecdotal information on recent and historical droughts may be available from local authorities and indigenous populations.  It is likely that more recent drought impacts are documented more thoroughly. The IDMP, together with its partners, is currently working on improving global guidance with regards to impact reporting and assessment.

For more information about IDM Pillar 2 you can consult Drought Impact and Vulnerability Assessment: A rapid review of practices and policy recommendations

Examples of tools and databases

Examples of reports