GS Paper III · Disaster Management
Heatwaves & Drought Current Affairs for UPSC (GS Paper III)
From the syllabus: Disaster and disaster management
Why it matters: Examiners evaluate preparedness plans, agricultural contingency measures, and community level resilience strategies required to cope with prolonged dry spells and high temperatures.
In the news
October 2026
11 Oct 2026Andhra Pradesh
Life-Saving Irrigation Scheme Rolled out for Drought-Hit OrchardsAndhra Pradesh has initiated the Life-Saving Irrigation Scheme in Sri Sathya Sai district to protect standing horticulture orchards facing acute groundwater depletion. Under the scheme, the government will subsidize 80% of water...
08 Oct 2026Andhra Pradesh
Drought Declaration in Andhra PradeshThe Andhra Pradesh government has officially declared drought in 56% of its mandals, citing a severe 53.4% rainfall deficit between June and August. The deficit is primarily attributed to El Nino conditions, which have severely...
September 2026
08 Sep 2026
Inter-Basin Water Transfer Activated in Andhra Pradesh to Tackle Dry SpellsDistrict authorities in Andhra Pradesh prepared contingency plans to divert Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) canal waters into local reservoirs to mitigate El Nino induced drinking water distress. The intervention demonstrates how...
July 2026
22 Jul 2026
Study Tracks Heat Stress Health Impacts in South IndiaA new scientific study has been launched across select sites in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to evaluate the exact impact of heat stress on human health. Participants across 1,200 households in sites such as Perungudi and Poompuhar in Tamil...
08 Jul 2026
The Statistical Challenge of Tracking Heatwave MortalitiesAs climate change intensifies summer temperatures, public health experts argue that India drastically underreports heatwave deaths. The primary challenge lies in medical certification, where heatstrokes are rarely registered as the...
Practise Heatwaves & Drought
4 of our latest questions on this topic.
Question 1 of 4
The Government of Andhra Pradesh declared drought in 56% of its mandals primarily due to a 53.4% rainfall deficit caused by which climatic phenomenon?
Previous years' questions
Past exam questions sorted by topic are coming here. Until then, the full papers are in our previous papers library.