247
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Rukhsana et al. (eds.), Habitat, Ecology and Ekistics, Advances in Asian
Human-Environmental Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49115-4_14
Chapter 14
Spatiotemporal Extent of Agricultural
Drought Over Western Part of West Bengal
Mou Dey, Dipanwita Dutta, and Abira Dutta Roy
14.1 Introduction
Drought is a devastating, inveterate, and pervasive natural hazard with complicated
socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological impacts (AMS 1997). In the agricultural sector, drought affects soil moisture availability that leads to crop failures and
pasture decline, posing risks on food security (Lu et al. 2017). Agricultural drought
is a situation when rainfall and soil moisture is not sufficient for crop growth (Baik
et al. 2019; Zhang et al. 2019; Parsons et al. 2019). More than 500 million people
live in these drought-prone areas globally (Sheffield et al. 2004; Rathore 2004;
Wilhite 2000).
Indian economy too is periodically affected by drought as well, because 60% of
it is sustained by the agricultural sector (Jha et al. 2019; Sharma and Goyal 2018).
According to Chatterjee et al. 2016 West Bengal too, a heavily dependent agrarian
state faces major weather anomalies which includes delayed monsoons and prolonged breaks in monsoon resulting in drought-like situations. But Bandyopadhyay
et al. 2014 correctly pointed out that there is absence of meteorological drought and
hydrological drought in West Bengal. But according to WBPCB 2009 based on
infiltration-runoff ration, volume of groundwater storage, the western hard rock plateau can be designated as drought prone, that too agricultural drought. Crop failure
occurrences in this area have been reported in several government reports (NADAMS
1989). Even Ghosh 2018 through various statistical analyses of climate data have
M. Dey · D. Dutta
Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, Vidyasagar University,
Midnapore, West Bengal, India
A. Dutta Roy (*)
Department of Geography, Bankura Zilla Saradamani Mahila Mahavidyapith,
Bankura, West Bengal, India
e-mail: abira6520@bzsmcollege.org
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Rukhsana et al. (eds.), Habitat, Ecology and Ekistics, Advances in Asian
Human-Environmental Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49115-4_14
Chapter 14
Spatiotemporal Extent of Agricultural
Drought Over Western Part of West Bengal
Mou Dey, Dipanwita Dutta, and Abira Dutta Roy
14.1 Introduction
Drought is a devastating, inveterate, and pervasive natural hazard with complicated
socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological impacts (AMS 1997). In the agricultural sector, drought affects soil moisture availability that leads to crop failures and
pasture decline, posing risks on food security (Lu et al. 2017). Agricultural drought
is a situation when rainfall and soil moisture is not sufficient for crop growth (Baik
et al. 2019; Zhang et al. 2019; Parsons et al. 2019). More than 500 million people
live in these drought-prone areas globally (Sheffield et al. 2004; Rathore 2004;
Wilhite 2000).
Indian economy too is periodically affected by drought as well, because 60% of
it is sustained by the agricultural sector (Jha et al. 2019; Sharma and Goyal 2018).
According to Chatterjee et al. 2016 West Bengal too, a heavily dependent agrarian
state faces major weather anomalies which includes delayed monsoons and prolonged breaks in monsoon resulting in drought-like situations. But Bandyopadhyay
et al. 2014 correctly pointed out that there is absence of meteorological drought and
hydrological drought in West Bengal. But according to WBPCB 2009 based on
infiltration-runoff ration, volume of groundwater storage, the western hard rock plateau can be designated as drought prone, that too agricultural drought. Crop failure
occurrences in this area have been reported in several government reports (NADAMS
1989). Even Ghosh 2018 through various statistical analyses of climate data have
M. Dey · D. Dutta
Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, Vidyasagar University,
Midnapore, West Bengal, India
A. Dutta Roy (*)
Department of Geography, Bankura Zilla Saradamani Mahila Mahavidyapith,
Bankura, West Bengal, India
e-mail: abira6520@bzsmcollege.org