Balochistan is severely prone to drought with 60–70 percent of the rural population directly or indirectly vulnerable to its effects. Severe episodes were recorded in 1967–69, 1971, 1973–75, 1994, 1998–2002 and 2009–15. In 2012 the Ministry of Finance estimated that drought caused a loss of Rs 25 billion to the national exchequer. It led to increased food prices which, in turn, caused widespread malnutrition.

The assessment sought to understand the reasons and impacts of drought in Balochistan. It identified coping mechanisms which could inform sustainable strategies and drought risk management.