The hydrological system is inherently interconnected with the climate system, the environmental, and the social system. The changes in these systems are non-static and should be included in future drought risk assessments to develop sustainable mitigation measures. To perform better assessments, the links between these systems should be well investigated and understood. These links are constantly changing and interdependent. However, few studies have explicitly performed a quantitative analysis to understand the interactions between these systems with the focus on drought risk and sub-surface water storage. This can be done by quantifying the interactions between climate, hydrology, land and water use, and management. This research will help investigate to what extent the influence of climate variability and anthropogenic activities on the hydrological system can influence sub-surface droughts and their impacts.