Multi-Dimensional Drought Assessment in Abbay/Upper Blue Nile Basin: The Importance of Shared Management and Regional Coordination Efforts for Mitigation

Drought is one of the least understood and complex natural hazards often characterized by a significant decrease in water availability for prolonged period. It can be manifested or more forms as meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, and/or socio-economic drought. The overarching objective this study to demonstrate characterize different droughts assess multidimensional nature drought Abbay/ Upper Blue Nile River (UBN) basin its national regional scale implications. In study, multiple indices derived from situ earth observation-based hydro-climatic variables were used. meteorological was using Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) computed gridded CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed with Station) rainfall data. Agricultural hydrological Soil Moisture Deficit (SMDI) Runoff-discharge (SRI), respectively. monthly time series SMDI model-based soil moisture SRI observed streamflow data 1982 2019. preliminary result illustrates good performance capturing historic severe events (e.g., 1984 2002) spatial extents across basin. results further indicated that all (i.e., hydrological) occurred concurrently Abbay/Upper Pearson correlation coefficient ranges 0.5 0.85 both Kiremt annual aggregate periods. concurrent leading multi-dimensional crisis rainfall, deficits, drying small streams. Multi-dimensional mitigation necessitates cooperation watershed management protect common sources activities society This also underlines need multi-scale monitoring practices