JAIPUR: The arid regions of Rajasthan are the worst sufferer of climatic changes, according to Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur.

Answers to why dust storms  are on the rise in East Asia. Over  the past two decades there has been an increase in the outbreak of dust storms over East Asia. Large quantities of dust particles suspended in the air not only block the amount of sunlight reaching the earth, they also cause respiratory and visual complications. Dust storms are attributed to two factors. First erodibility—susceptibility of soil to wind erosion and second erosivity—ability of wind to cause erosion.

This new report released by the Ministry of Environment and Forests provides a holistic overview capturing comprehensively India's policies and programme related to desertification, land degradation & drought.

The studies of UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) indicated that, over the preceding 20 years, the problem of land degradation had continued to worsen due to human activities and climate change such as prolonged or frequent droughts aggravating land degradation.

Strategies Based on Natural Resource Management deals with experiences of improving livelihoods through investments in the natural resource base. This includes both watershed development initiatives as well as specialized NRM interventions for areas where watershed development may not be possible or even relevant.