It includes the responsibilities and procedures of national and local governments, organizations and relevant people related to disaster response (including social disasters such as fire), and safety management plan
Regulations for the prevention and restoration of natural disasters and measures to cope with natural disasters (medium and long-term countermeasures for drought prone areas, facility maintenance, restricted water supply, etc.)
Disaster Prevention and Emergency Measures and Restoration Regulations for Agriculture and Fishery(Drought prevention and recovery support)
Urgent groundwater development in case of disaster, installation of groundwater resources facilities
Adjustment of certified amount of river water for drought response
Use of raw agricultural water in an emergency such as drought
The proactive preparation and mitigation measures for drought in the United States are provided in cooperation with the US Department of the Interior's Geological Survey(USGS), the US Department of Agriculture(USDA), NOAA under the US Department of Commerce and the National Weather Service(NWS).
The National Drought Policy Act (1998) and the National Integrated Drought Information System Act(2006) were enacted to develop national drought management integrated system.
The federal, state, and local communities are working with various agencies to exchange information and drought alert system with each region for drought early warning, monitoring, and mitigation.
They developed a regional drought early warning system and provide standardized information on drought conditions and drought alerts throughout the United States via the U.S. Drought Portal.
Agency | Institute | Role |
---|---|---|
USDA | Risk Management Bureau | Grain insurance program for natural disasters such as drought |
Economic Research Service | Assessing the impact of drought on the economy, including agriculture and industry | |
USDC | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | The NIDIS Chief is responsible for climate-related tasks, and operates the National Climate Data Center to provide real-time weather observations related to drought |
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey | Provide real-time information on streamflow shortages |
U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Federal Emergency Management Agency | Establish natural disaster mitigation plans including drought |
U.S. Department of Defense | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Participates in the construction of dams and waterways and provides water locally |
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Intervene in cases of public health deterioration concerns due to drought |
- | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Water saving campaign for environmental protection |
In 1995, University of Nebraska-Lincoln established the National Drought Mitigation Center in cooperation with the federal government and has played a main role in drought management in the United States.
NDMC analyzes weekly drought conditions using collectively six types of drought indices to divide drought condition into five stages and provides drought information to Climate Prediction Center (CPC), USDA, and water-related agencies of local governments.
Agency | Institute | Role |
---|---|---|
D0 | Abnormally Dry |
|
D1 | Moderate Drought |
|
D2 | Severe Drought |
|
D3 | Extreme Drought |
|
D4 | Exceptional Drought |
|
※ Source : US National Drought Mitigation Center website
In 1973, the United Kingdom began to focus on the management of integrated water resources management through the revision of water related laws. The Environment Agency oversees the comprehensive management of water resources including water utilization, flood control, the regulation of stream environment and water quality. It determines the final drought area by analyzing various data such as river water level, flow rate, watershed precipitation, and groundwater level, etc.
State of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has mainly three duties as an administrative department of making and executing drought management policy, and of being responsible for the integrated water management.
It also establishes drought plans as a basis of drought management policies and plans, and includes guidance on water resources management in case of drought, related organizations and roles.
Institute | Drought Management Response |
---|---|
Government |
|
Environment Agency |
|
Water Service Company |
|
Local Government |
|
※ Source: The Magazine of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers
Drought Response Process | Contents |
---|---|
Normal | Establishing drought plans according to water resources conditions |
Potential Drought | Implementing measures to cope with drought due to dry weather |
Drought | Implementing drought management policy and program through analysis of drought impact on civilians, industry, and environment in case of drought |
Post Drought | Implementing relevant policies for recovering water resources supply, monitoring changes in drought conditions, and analyzing measures related to coping with drought situations |
※* Source : EA (2012). P18, Korea Water Resources Association Criteria
Australia's National Drought Policy was enacted in 1992 and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries handles drought policy as a part of its agricultural policies.
It recognizes drought as a farming issue and the government supports farmers to manage drought in exceptional circumstances.
Division | Counterplan |
---|---|
Federal government |
|
State |
|
Condition | Detailed Contents |
---|---|
Extremely rare and serious | Occurring every 20 to 25 years on average, causing serious agricultural loss, and governmental intervention’s being inevitable |
Causing a serious decline in agricultural income over the long term | Causing a serious decline in agricultural income over one year, which is impossible to respond through usual crisis management |
Impossible to prepare or predict a drought event by using usual response programs | Except for an incident to be predictable or be addressed by routine crisis management or to be supported by other programs |
※ Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2004), National Drought Policy
Japan operates a water management system that predicts droughts and manages water resources by river basin. The Japan River Council is proposing to secure drought safety through basic drought policies. In order to establish comprehensive drought countermeasures in each region, it is promoting stable water resources and rationalization of water use.
Division | Prevention Measures | Detailed Contents |
---|---|---|
Supply Side (Central and Local Government, Water Service Provider) |
Secure stable water resources |
|
Increasing water resources efficiency |
|
|
Rationalization of water use |
|
|
Delivery of water supply information |
|
|
Demand Side (People, Users) |
Voluntary participation of water saving program |
|
Voluntary participation of water saving program | ||
Conservation and utilization of multiple water sources such as groundwater | ||
Adoption of qualification system | ||
Acceptance of mandatory restrictions |
|
|
Structural and non-structural drought prevention measures |
Structural drought prevention measures |
|
Nonstructural Drought Measures |
|
※ Source : Ministry of Construction and Transportation (2007)
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