IIT Bombay develops portal to forecast agricultural droughts 4 weeks ahead

IIT Bombay researchers have developed a public forecasting system that can predict agricultural drought conditions across India up to four weeks in advance, helping farmers and government agencies prepare for potential droughts and reduce agricultural losses.

In Short

• IIT Bombay launches KrishiDrought portal for 4-week agricultural drought forecasts
• Platform uses satellite data, hydroclimatic info and deep learning models
• Forecasts available at district level with 9 km spatial resolution

For farmers, an early warning of drought can make a crucial difference when it comes to planning for the weeks ahead. At the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, a research team has developed a public portal that can forecast agricultural drought conditions across India up to four weeks in advance.

Developed by the institute's Ecohydrology research group, led by Professor Karthikeyan Lanka at the Centre for Studies in Resources Engineering (CSRE), in collaboration with the Centre for Climate Studies, the platform combines satellite observations, hydroclimatic datasets, dynamical forecasts and advanced deep learning models to help farmers and government agencies prepare for potential droughts.

Named KrishiDrought, the portal provides weekly agricultural drought forecasts at a spatial resolution of approximately 9 kilometres, with information available at the district level. The initiative also involves students and researchers from IIT Bombay, whom the institute congratulated following the platform's launch.

HOW DOES THE PORTAL WORK?

According to IIT Bombay, the platform integrates satellite observations, hydroclimatic datasets, dynamical forecasts and advanced deep learning models to monitor evolving soil moisture conditions and predict agricultural drought.

Soil moisture is an important indicator of agricultural health, as it reflects the amount of water available in the ground to support crop growth. Monitoring changes in these conditions can help identify regions that may be at risk of agricultural drought.

The portal's weekly forecasts, which offer up to four weeks of warning, are intended to give stakeholders more time to assess potential risks and plan their response.

Its district-level forecasting system also allows users to examine agricultural drought conditions across different parts of India.

Announcing the initiative on its official X account, IIT Bombay wrote, "We are pleased to announce the launch of http://KrishiDrought.in, a public portal providing weekly agricultural drought forecasts across India, with up to four weeks of advance warning at approximately 9 km spatial resolution (provided at district level)."

The institute also congratulated the students and researchers who contributed to developing the platform.

The public platform aims to support farmers, government agencies and other stakeholders in making timely decisions, preparing for drought conditions and mitigating potential agricultural losses.

With climate variability posing growing challenges to agricultural planning, the initiative seeks to make scientific forecasting more accessible to those who need it.

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