The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has launched KrishiDrought.in, a public web portal that publishes weekly agricultural drought forecasts for the country. According to the institute's announcement, the forecasts can warn of dry conditions up to four weeks ahead. They are generated at a spatial resolution of roughly 9 km and presented at the district level.
How the forecasts are made
The system combines satellite observations, hydroclimatic datasets and dynamical forecasts with deep learning models, the announcement said. Using these inputs, it tracks how soil moisture is changing and flags where agricultural drought is developing.
Who built it
The portal was developed by the Ecohydrology research group led by Prof. Karthikeyan Lanka at the Centre of Studies in Resources Engineering (CSRE) and the Centre for Climate Studies at IIT Bombay. The institute also credited the students and researchers on the project.
Who it is meant for
IIT Bombay said the portal is aimed at farmers, government agencies and other stakeholders. The idea is to give them time to make decisions, prepare for droughts and limit potential crop losses. The institute did not specify in the announcement how farmers would receive or act on the forecasts.
The portal was formally launched during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of CSRE at IIT Bombay. The forecasts can be accessed at krishidrought.in.
