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Agricultural Drought Indices - US Department of Agriculture

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Following the <strong>Drought</strong> Action Plan, several measures were implemented during the last drought<br />

period (2005–2010):<br />

• Weekly monitoring system.<br />

• New desalination plants.<br />

• Operation <strong>of</strong> the Well Strategic Network.<br />

• Emergency investments in new infrastructures to increase water resources or to improve<br />

demand management.<br />

• Water rights transfer, using water transfer infrastructure (up to 70 hm 3 /year)<br />

• Restrictions to irrigation supply, up to 50%.<br />

• Improving installations and networks to reduce water losses.<br />

• Modernization <strong>of</strong> irrigation systems.<br />

• Economic measures to compensate farmers for water supply restrictions.<br />

• Administrative measures, including a drought decree to improve water resource<br />

management.<br />

One example <strong>of</strong> how measures were applied is the management <strong>of</strong> the Well Strategic Network<br />

(Figure 10).<br />

Figure 10. Well Strategic Network.<br />

Consequences <strong>of</strong> the Last <strong>Drought</strong> (2005–2010)<br />

On the positive side, by temporarily increasing water availability, and by a proper management <strong>of</strong><br />

demands, there were no major constraints on domestic water supply, and urban water supply<br />

(services and industry), and environmental and socioeconomic impacts decreased.<br />

The impacts on agriculture, compared with former drought periods, are summarized in Table 5.<br />

9

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