This case study analyzes the costs and benefits of alternative strategies for mitigating the impact of drought on rural livelihoods in Uttar Pradesh. It explores both insurance mechanisms for spreading drought risk and, as an alternative, the development of groundwater irrigation for eliminating such risk.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a systematic qualitative analysis of the costs and benefits of constructing embankments in the lower Bagmati River basin, which stretches across the Nepal Tarai and into northern Bihar. This paper analyzes the costs and benefits of both structural flood control measures, and a wide array of local, "people-centered" strategies.