IIT Bombay launches KrishiDrought portal to warn Indian farmers of agricultural droughts a month in advance

IIT Bombay launches KrishiDrought portal to warn Indian farmers of agricultural droughts a month in advance

IIT Bombay has launched KrishiDrought.in, a public portal that provides weekly agricultural drought forecasts across India. The system can warn about dry conditions up to four weeks in advance, with forecasts available at around 9 km resolution and presented at the district level.

KrishiDrought combines satellite data, hydroclimatic information and weather forecasts with deep learning to monitor changes in soil moisture and identify areas where agricultural drought may be developing.

The platform was developed by IIT Bombay’s Ecohydrology Research Group, led by Prof. Karthikeyan Lanka, along with the Centre of Studies in Resources Engineering and the Centre for Climate Studies. It was launched during CSRE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

The portal is aimed at farmers, government agencies and other stakeholders, helping them plan irrigation, manage crops and take preventive measures before drought conditions become severe. However, IIT Bombay has not yet explained how the forecasts will reach farmers or directly support decisions at the ground level.

With rainfall becoming increasingly unpredictable due to climate variability, the researchers hope KrishiDrought will become a useful tool for agricultural planning and drought-risk management across India.