16. Hydrological Drought Analysis of Bearma Basin, Madhya Pradesh, India

Water scarcity is remaining as a persistent issue for millions of people in the present world order. Occurrence of drought situations exacerbates the existing gap between water availability, demand and supply. The consequences of droughts on ecosystem and economy are well mentioned in the early investigations by scholars. The severity of hydrological drought can be measured through various indicators, including temperature anomalies and rainfall intensity. Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and conducting trend tests such as the Mann–Kendall test, Modified Mann–Kendall test, Wallis-Moore test and Sen's slope estimator are used to predict and help to identify regions that are particularly sensitive to drought. Based on the analysis of climatic data of drought-prone Bearma Basin of Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh, it is identified that there is a decreasing trend in rainfall during the north west monsoon (NWM) season and an increasing trend in moderate and severe drought conditions over the study period of 1987–2020.