Scientists say western India needs an 'earth science center'

Ahmedabad, Feb 7 (UNI) The three-day international workshop on 'Monsoon Climate Variability and Change; their impact on water, food and health in Western India' ended here today at the Nirma University campus.

Dr Vikram Mehta, chairman, of the Centre for Research on the Changing Earth Systems (CRCES), while addressing mediapersons said one main conclusion was that an Earth science center needed to be set up for western India to can provide research and educational components on earth system science and the impact on climactic changes it has on water resources, drought, agriculture production and disease outbreak.

''Monsoon remains a major challenge despite lots of research done in the past 100 years. Still it poses lots of difficulties. Though rainfall in regional scale can be predicted say in a 100 km to 200 km range it 'may be' predictable 24 hours ahead. Lot more research is needed and in setting up the earth science center, this will be on top of our agenda,'' Dr Mehta said.

There was unanimity in the workshop that young scientists especially from western India needed to be encouraged. It was also agreed that since regions in Gujarat, Rajasthan and western Madhya Pradesh were highly drought prone, to monitor and mitigate the impact of drought, a 'drought information system' was also needed for western India, perhaps for all of India, he said. Since western India was semi-arid and vulnerable, there was all the more reason to set up the Centre, he added.

Sachin Sehgal of Nirma University said the idea of an earth science centre was mooted last August. Efforts were on to set up the Centre and a roadmap had been designed in this regard. It could take some time before a formal announcement was made. Funds were not that important compared to the inclination to set up the Centre , Mr Sehgal added.

UNI