Nearly one-third area of the country suffers from the menace of drought. Though it has become a natural feature of the climate, this insidious apocalypse has caused not only loss of human and animal life but a substantial drain of government exchequer in relief measures. The societal and environmental damages can be prevented through well-planned drought management, taking recource to water conservation and its scientific management. The paper deals with the historical and contemporary perspectives of drought and outlines the technological measures by which the surface and groundwater can effectively be exploited and used in complimentarity. As per location-specific situation, they may be applied anywhere including plateau/sub-plateau regions.
