Drought Assessment Using Remote Sensing Techniques in the Great Rann of Kachchh and Adjoining Areas of Thar Desert

Chauhan, Pooja , Ngangom, Mamata , Thakkar, M. G

2025-03-01 null null   53(卷), null(期), (null页)

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Drought occurs when the amount of evaporation in a region is higher than the amount of rainfall. Studying drought in the Great Rann of Kachchh and adjoining areas of Thar Desert is crucial due to their arid climates, erratic rainfall, and frequent drought years. Remote sensing and GIS technologies offer rapidity, practicality, and precise monitoring capabilities for assessing drought conditions. Three spectral indices-Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normalized Difference Salinity Index (NDSI) were investigated for the assessment of vegetated landscapes, water, and range of salinity present in the study area for the last decade (2013-2022). Spatial overlay analysis using parameters (NDVI, NDWI, and NDSI) has also been done to delineate the spatial and temporal variability of drought-vulnerable regions. Standard precipitation index (SPI) analysis has also been calculated for the estimation of the severity of drought events. Results show that the spectral indices and SPI values are significantly affected by the amount of average annual rainfall and our findings show that the region experienced four drought phases (2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021) during the last decade (2013-2022). The Kachchh region of Gujarat experiences severe and moderate drought events in 2018 and 2014 respectively while the Jalore and Barmer districts of Rajasthan experiences moderate drought events in 2018.