The carbon and water cycles play an important role in ecosystem functioning and are linked to each other through different physical and biological processes. The hydroclimatic disturbances such as droughts affect both hydrological as well as the ecological processes.

Recent studies have shown an increasing trend in hydroclimatic disturbances like droughts, which are anticipated to become more frequent and intense under global warming and climate change. Droughts adversely affect the vegetation growth and crop yield, which enhances the risks to food security for a country like India with over 1.2 billion people to feed.

India has the largest concentration of population using biomass with inefficient stoves. About 840 million in India fully or partially rely on traditional biomass for cooking. In India, cooking is mainly carried out by women, and they play an important role in managing domestic energy needs.