ULAANBAATAR — Speaking at the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Mongolia, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav urged global leaders to treat drought as a predictable and preventable risk rather than a recurring natural disaster.
Addressing the Ministerial Dialogue on “Accelerating Drought Resilience,” Yadav stressed that proactive management, technology-driven intervention, and land-water conservation must replace emergency reactive relief on the international stage.
Core Pillars of India’s Drought Resilience Framework
Highlighting India’s multi-institutional model, the Union Minister outlined key strategies currently deployed to mitigate land degradation and dry spells across the country:
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Early Warning and Satellite Monitoring: Integrating satellite-based drought assessments with real-time rainfall tracking to trigger immediate administrative preparedness before a crisis develops.
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Forestry and Catchment Management: Adopting a “restore the forest, before the flow” approach, focusing on riverscape forestry, erosion control, and catchment restoration to enhance groundwater recharge.
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Ridge-to-Valley Watershed Initiatives: Restoring degraded rainfed lands in the plains through community-led watershed programs integrated with rural employment schemes.
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Agricultural Protection and Insurance: Protecting smallholder farmers via state-subsidized crop insurance schemes that utilize technology for faster, transparent claim settlements during severe climate events.
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Community-Led Water Conservation: Prioritizing hill spring rejuvenation, traditional water body revival, and decentralized drinking water management to secure rural supply lines during prolonged stress.
Call for International Cooperation
Underlining India’s willingness to share its technical capacities and watershed management expertise with developing nations, Yadav called for increased global investments in early warning systems and ecosystem restoration.
“Preparedness over response, prevention over crisis management, resilience over recovery should be the goal… building drought resilience is not optional for the world’s most vulnerable, but a matter of survival,” Minister Yadav stated in his concluding address.
