Trend Analysis of Rainfall and Meteorological Drought Indices over India During 1958–2017

Rainfall plays a very vital role and its deficit causes a huge impact on the environment. Understanding the pattern of rainfall and drought trends has become increasingly crucial in many regions due to climate change. In this study, using the rainfall data from 1958 to 2017 for thirty-four meteorological subdivisions of India, trend analysis is performed for annual and seasonal rainfall. Along with the rainfall trend analysis, the study is also performed for meteorological drought indices, i.e., Effective Drought Index (EDI), Standardized Precipitation Index-9 (SPI-9), and Standardized Precipitation Index-12 (SPI-12). The results obtained from the Mann–Kendall test show that the rainfall patterns in the area under investigation are changing over time. As evidenced by the decrease in rainfall, the study region has been experiencing a lack of water supply in numerous subdivisions. The drought frequency for the meteorological drought indices has also been investigated, and it has been observed that the region is experiencing drought from extremely dry conditions to normal dry conditions. The findings in this study will help us to better comprehend the changes in rainfall and drought severity over the study region. This study may also benefit effective disaster management and preparedness strategies for this catastrophe, which is wreaking havoc on the environment.