Drought is a normal part of climate for virtually every country. This paper notes that in response, a risk-based management approach is more cost effective because it emphasizes improved monitoring and early warning systems
development of strong decision-support systems
identification and implementation of mitigation actions
education and training of policy makers, natural resources managers, and the public
and drought mitigation plans that reduce the most serious impacts. The paper concludes with general recommendations that would benefit all sectors: improving the reliability of seasonal climate forecasts and increasing their use could improve decision making for water management
establishing an automated weather station network could provide end users with near-real time data to improve decision-making
altering operating procedures for water reservoir management and augmenting water storage capacity of surface and subsurface systems could improve drought coping capacity
improving information delivery systems and providing technical assistance could improve decision making by government officials, agricultural producers, and water managers during droughts and help create the necessary infrastructure
and improving water conservation practices for domestic and agricultural sectors during drought and non-drought periods and monitoring the effects of drought on water quality for both surface and groundwater supplies would help to mitigate risks overall.