Estimation of yearly, monthly and weekly drought for Parbhani district

Abstract

The rainfall distribution of Parbhani district of Maharashtra state is quite erratic in space and occurrence of drought is common. In this study, 21 years (1991-2011) of rainfall data of Parbhani have been analyzed on yearly, monthly and weekly basis for predicting the water drought, normal and surplus events for crop planning in the region. Weekly drought normal and surplus events give a more precise idea about crop planning. The analysis has revealed that the assessment of drought on weekly basis is very important for better crop planning particularly in rainfed area. As analysis base period decreases the percentage of drought increases subsequently from year to month and from month to week. It has been also reveals that there is a need of assured supplemental irrigation facility in Rabi and summer season crops.