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What to do about droughts?

Droughts occur at multiple spatial scales and evolve over timescales that make them distinctive compared to other ‘natural’ hazards. The impacts of drought and water scarcity on the environment, society and the economy are complex, reflecting meteorological and hydrological conditions as well as human choices and trade-offs between competing claims for water.

Drought management is a problem of minimising negative impacts, given uncertain information about past, present and future conditions. This will be dependent on how specific impacts and risks of droughts and water scarcity are understood, managed by key stakeholders, and shaped by institutions, regulation and markets.

In MaRIUS we have reviewed current governance arrangements for drought planning and options avaliable for managing droughts in the short and long term, including managing water supply and demand.