Application of standardized precipitation index for monitoring meteorological drought and wet conditions in Garhwal region (Uttarakhand)

Drought is one of the most important environmental problems affecting the planet. The identification, characterization, and monitoring of droughts are of great importance for optimal planning and management of water resources. In this research, meteorological drought and wet conditions and their probabilities were analyzed at Chamoli, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, and Uttarkashi stations located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand State (India) by employing the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The SPI was computed on the multi-time scale (i.e., 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24) corresponding to SPI-1, SPI-3, SPI-6, SPI-9, SPI-12, and SPI-24 by using available monthly rainfall data at study stations. The evaluation of results exposed that there are 69%, 68%, 69%, 71%, 68%, 72%, and 70% chances (probability) of the normal condition (NC) at Chamoli, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, and Uttarkashi stations, respectively. The chances of occurrence of moderate drought (MD) and wet (MW) conditions were relatively more at all the study stations, except the Pauri Garhwal (extreme wet (EW) = 0.55) and Tehri Garhwal (extreme drought (ED) = 0.36 and 0.31). Accordingly, the results of this study are exploited in such a way to harvest the excess water during the wet periods and utilize the same in drought periods for drinking, household activities, irrigation, etc. in the study region. © 2021, Saudi Society for Geosciences.