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Establishing a drought communications system

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sector: ,
hazard:
location: ,

by Piotr Matczak, Darryn McEvoy, Ilona Banaszak, Adam Chorynski

[other options]

What:
Drought severity is dependent not only on the duration, intensity, and spatial extent of a specific drought episode, but also on the demands made by human activities and vegetation on a region's water supplies. Coping with droughts requires provision of timely and reliable climate information, including seasonal forecasts, that aids decision makers at all levels in making critical management decisions. Central government, local governments and water authorities the most important for managing water systems. The information can reduce the impacts of drought and other extreme climate events. A drought plan has three components: monitoring and early warning (see: early warning systems); risk assessment; and mitigation and response. In addition, improved understanding of a region's drought climatology provides critical information on the frequency and intensity of historical events. Identifying the factors that explain who and what is at risk and why (i.e., the underlying factors behind the vulnerability) can lead to the development and implementation of a wide variety of mitigation actions and programs to reduce impacts from future drought events.
Extreme event: Drought
Type of option: Management best practice; Scientific
Risk management: Risk identification and assessment
Sector: Health; Water resources
Landscape type: Geographically non-specific
Location: Australia; United States
Why:
Drivers of change: Socio-economic: Losses in agriculture and forest fires and wildfires; affected municipal water supplies economic activities and tourism.

Policy: Discussions on introduction of a comprehensive integrated national climate monitoring or drought early warning; risk management policies.
How and who:
Implementation: National, regional, local
Institutional context: Improving preparedness for drought is requires building institutional capacity at all levels of government, as well as improving coordination between levels of government.
Potential barriers: Coordination is required between meteorological, hydrological, and agricultural services. Delivery systems must be improved to get information. Potential users of climate information must be educated on the information application for drought risk reduction. Improved communication between the developers and users of products must be established in order to shape information to the format suited to user needs and application in the decision process.
Implications for sustainable development:
Implications for sustainable development: Option has no direct influence on environment, but ultimately, coping with droughts have positive impacts on local environment.
Option has no direct influence, but water shortage can cause social tensions, conflicts and stress. Thus coping with drought increases social resilience.
Can help to reduce losses caused by droughts and improve water allocation efficiency.
Resources:
Learning
and
knowledge transfer:
http://drought.unl.edu/monitor/EWS/ch1_Wilhite.pdf
Drought Early Warning Systems in the U.S. in the Context of Drought Preparedness and Mitigation
http://www.txwin.net/DPC/State_Drought_Preparedness_Plan.pdf
Texas State Drought Preparedness Plan
Evaluation: Currently, information is not always user friendly and the value of this information is not fully appreciated. Proper communication, coupled with appropriate mitigation actions and programs, can reduce and, in some cases, eliminate many of the impacts associated with drought.
Scientific references:
Wilhite, D.A., M.D. Svoboda (2000). Drought Early Warning Systems in the Context of Drought. Preparedness and Mitigation. National Drought Mitigation Center, Lincoln, Nebraska U.S.A.
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