Assessment of meteorological drought characteristics during 1980-2020 over the Marathwada Region, India

Drought is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs when there is a prolonged period of below-average precipitation, leading to a shortage of water. It can have serious consequences, particularly for agriculture, as plants and crops depend on water for their growth and survival. In this study, we conducted a spatiotemporal assessment of drought trends and variabilities in the Marathwada Region of Maharashtra, India, which is dominated by agriculture. We used precipitation data from the India Meteorological Department for 1980-2020 and characterized drought occurrences using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at different time frames (1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months moving windows). Further, we used non-parametric tests, such as the modified Mann–Kendall (MMK) and Sen's slope (SS) tests, to detect trends in precipitation as well as in Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) and actual evapotranspiration (ET). The results of the study indicate that the Marathwada region is prone to droughts, and the SPI at a 12-monthly moving frame is more effective at capturing drought occurrences than shorter time frames due to the lesser randomness in the time series. We also found a mix of positive and negative trends in the SPI series for the monsoonal months, with more concentration towards negative trends, thereby indicating an increased tendency or severity of drought events. A detailed discussion is also provided on the seasonal variations of precipitation, ESI and ET. The information from this study can be used to develop water management strategies to mitigate the effects of drought in the region.