created by floods every year. How do these

created by floods every year. How do these governments generally respond to the floods? Construction of flood protection embankments in the flood-prone areas, construction of dams, construction activities in the upper reaches of most of the flood-creating rivers, etc. are some steps that need to be taken up on urgent basis. river channels and depopulating the flood particularly true in western and northern parts of the country which experience flash-floods . Cyclone centres may provide relief in coastal areas which are hit by a storm surge. The term ‘drought’ is applied to an extended period when there is a shortage of water availability due to inadequate precipitation, over-utilisation of water from the reservoirs and other storages, including the ground water. Drought is a complex phenomenon as it involves elements of meteorology like precipitation, evaporation, evapo- transpiration, ground water, soil moisture, storage and surface run-off, agricultural practices, particularly the types of crops grown, socio-economic practices and ecological conditions. Meteorological Drought : It is a situation when there is a prolonged period of inadequate rainfall marked with mal-distribution of the same over time and space.