Climate change: 8 states remain highly vulnerable
New
Delhi,
Apr
18:
Eight
Indian
states
--
Jharkhand,
Mizoram,
Odisha,
Chhattisgarh,
Assam,
Bihar,
Arunachal
Pradesh
and
West
Bengal
--
are
highly
vulnerable
to
climate
change,
according
to
a
national
climate
vulnerability
assessment
report.
These
states,
mostly
in
the
eastern
part
of
the
country,
require
prioritisation
of
adaptation
interventions,
the
report
pointed
out.
Among
all
states,
Assam,
Bihar
and
Jharkhand
have
over
60
per
cent
districts
in
the
category
of
highly
vulnerable
districts.
Lack
of
forest
area
per
100
rural
population
was
found
to
be
one
of
the
major
drivers
of
vulnerability
for
Assam
despite
the
fact
that
the
state
has
a
forest
cover
of
42
per
cent,
followed
by
low
road
density,
the
report
said.
In case of Bihar, the report cited poor health infrastructure to be the key vulnerability driver in 36 districts, followed by a high percentage of marginal and small operational holders in 24 districts.
The
lack
of
implementation
of
the
rural
employment
scheme
MGNREGA,
causing
a
lack
of
alternative
livelihood
opportunities,
appeared
as
a
key
driver
in
14
districts
of
Bihar,
followed
by
a
lack
of
women's
participation
in
the
workforce
in
11
districts.
Lack
of
crop
insurance
and
rainfed
agriculture
were
key
drivers
of
vulnerability
for
Jharkhand.
The report, titled 'Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework', which identifies the most vulnerable states and districts in India with respect to current climate risk and key drivers of vulnerability, was released by Department of Science and Technology (DST) Secretary Ashutosh Sharma.
Himachal
Pradesh,
Telangana,
Sikkim
and
Punjab
have
been
categorised
as
lower-middle
vulnerable
states.
Uttarakhand,
Haryana,
Tamil
Nadu,
Kerala,
Nagaland,
Goa
and
Maharashtra
have
been
categorised
as
states
with
low
vulnerability.
"We
have
seen
how
extreme
events
are
on
rise
both
in
terms
of
their
number
and
severity.
Mapping
the
parts
of
India
that
are
vulnerable
to
such
changes
will
help
initiating
climate
actions
at
the
ground
level.
"The report should be made easily accessible to all stakeholders so that it can benefit climate-vulnerable communities across India through development of better-designed climate change adaptation projects," said Sharma.
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He also suggested that the maps should be made available to people who need it.
"Assessing vulnerability was the first step towards assessing climate risk. There are two other components like hazard and exposure that need to be also assessed to arrive at overall climate risk.
"DST would take up these assessments in the next phase along with sectoral vulnerability assessments and assessments at sub-district levels,'' said Akhilesh Gupta, Head, Climate Change Programme (CCP), DST.
Prof N H Ravindranath, retired climate change expert from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), explained that the report has helped identify the most vulnerable states, districts and panchayats and will aid in prioritising adaptation investment, developing and implementing adaptation programmes.
Director of IIT Mandi Professor Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi and Director of IIT Guwahati T G Sitharaman hoped that the report will be taken up by the states for initiating climate action.
A total of 94 representatives from 24 states and two Union Territories participated in the nationwide exercise jointly supported by the DST and the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC).
Corinne Demenge, Head, Swiss Cooperation Office, Embassy of Switzerland in India, hoped that the assessments will contribute to the development of more targeted climate change projects and that they will support the implementation and the potential revisions of the State Action Plans on Climate Change.
"The assessments can further be used for India's reporting on the Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. And finally, these assessments will support India's National Action Plan on Climate Change," she added.
The assessment will help policy-makers in initiating appropriate climate actions. It will also benefit climate-vulnerable communities across India through development of better-designed climate change adaptation projects.
In a developing country such as India, vulnerability assessment is considered as an important exercise to develop suitable adaptation projects and programmes.