Also Read | In India’s climate law, focus more on process, less on outcomes

The warnings are significant and must induce strong and effective policy responses. Unlike other natural hazards such as cyclones and floods, droughts often develop gradually over a long period of time; they are “creeping disasters”. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which was released earlier this month, has warned that the South Asian monsoon has weakened in the second half of the 20th century, mainly on account of human activity, and that rising temperatures could mean more droughts.

The gradual nature of droughts often prevents governments from recognising its deep long-term, socio-economic impact, often reducing the urgency that would otherwise trigger a timely and comprehensive response. India needs to expand the farm insurance net and ensure timely payouts, invest in greater adoption of micro-irrigation techniques, and introduce drought-resistant crops. These steps are important because droughts could further intensify farm distress (50% of the population is dependent on agriculture and more than 50% of the cultivable area rainfed), lead to over-extraction of groundwater, increase rural to urban migration, and intensify water conflicts between states and between farms, cities and industries. Effective drought-proofing, management and monitoring is the need of the hour.