Drought assessment for real-time hydrologic drought index of the Nakdong River Basin in Korea

Hydrological droughts are known as the occurrence of surface and subsurface water resources inadequacy, for a specific period of time, for water consumption. This study performed the development and the application of Real-time Drought Index (RDI) for the drought assessment of the Nakdong River Basin in Korea. The hydrologic drought index was analyzed for residential, agricultural, industrial water supplies, and water demands; to investigate the occurrence of both water shortages and droughts. This study showed that the utilization of RDI for drought assessment was proven to be feasible. Results of drought assessment may be used for disaster management to mitigate the effects of the inevitable occurrence of drought.