This study utilizes remote sensing data to monitor the relationship between land cover and drought exposure in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) Province. NTT is a province in Indonesia, located in the Nusa Tenggara archipelago, characterized by low to medium rainfall, which contributes to frequent drought events. In 2018 and 2019, the province was impacted by El Niño, resulting in approximately 865,900 and 1,154,714 affected and displaced individuals, respectively. Due to the limited availability of time-series data, observations from the Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS mission, spanning from 2018 to 2023, were utilized. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was employed to assess land conditions, while the Vegetation Health Index (VHI), calculated from the Temperature Condition Index (TCI) and Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), was used to estimate drought severity. To validate the dry season period in the study area, ERA5 climate reanalysis data from 1990 to 2020 was used. This study provides new insights into drought monitoring in NTT Province, Indonesia, by analyzing temporal variations in vegetation. The results indicate that seasonal dynamics, climatic variability, seasonal farming practices, and land fires are major contributors to severe drought conditions in NTT. Notably, this research highlights a finding absent from previous studies: seasonal farming and land fires are the primary drivers of elevated drought levels in the province. The study is significant as it elucidates the impacts of drought on development, agriculture, and water resources. Through remote sensing data, it reveals spatial drought distribution patterns during the study period in NTT. This research could inform land-use and environmental planning in tropical regions