CLASSIFICATION OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS BY REMOTE SENSING IN DISTRICT KHARGONE OF MADHYA PRADESH

Abstract

In recent years country experienced severe drought conditions which seriously affected the economy of the nation. Drought is generally viewed as a sustained and regionally extensive occurance of low precipitation soil moisture, river runoff or ground water as compared to their normal values. In the present study the analysis of drought in KHARGON district of Madhya Pradesh was carried out with the help of conventional method and also by using remote sensing technique. In the conventional method, I.M.D. criteria for drought classification based on rainfall defficiency was taken as the yardstick. In remote sensing technique visual interpretation and digital analysis methods were used for analysis. The results obtained by both the methods have been compared and have been found to be in good agreement. Drought condition by conventional method comes. out to be moderate in 1986 and moderate nearing severe in the year 1988. The remote sensing methods show that the drought in both the years 1986 & 1988 are severe. Q5150 An attempt has/been made to describ'e an index on the basis of departure of rainfall from normal and reduction in agriculture area from normal. This index can be used for classifying drought impacts on agriculture which however has considerable scope for improvement.