Frequent droughts compound the problem of water shortages in the state. Droughts are cyclic in the State. Nearly 35 per cent of the geographical area of the state is prone to droughts. In districts such as Kutch and Banaskantha, the frequency of occurrence of droughts is as high as 30 per cent. During droughts the problems of water shortage become acute with rampant incidence of drinking water scarcity and fodder shortages.
Droughts bring hardships to the both rural and urban communities.
Women and children are among the worst hit by water scarcity. Insufficient and irregular rainfall during the monsoon of 1999 had engendered a severe drought situation in the summer of 2000. Almost similar situation prevails this year also. The impact of the 1999 drought had been severe and quite visible. Some estimates place the figure of the population affected by the drought at around 25 million people.