Climate change taking a toll
The Himalayan region has been witnessing huge changes for many years now and the climate in various states and regions too is having an impact ranging from increased downpour to change in temperatures during summer as well as winter seasons.
Presently, many north Indian states including the capital New Delhi is witnessing increased water levels that have wrecked havoc by damaging infrastructure and making lives of people miserable.
According to a report by independent policy research think tank, ‘The Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW), an estimated 72 per cent of districts in India are exposed to extreme flood events but only 25 per cent of them have level flood forecasting stations, or early warning systems.
The report showed that Himachal Pradesh, currently battling massive floods, is among the states with the lowest availability of early warning systems (EWS). Uttarakhand, on the other hand, is moderately exposed to extreme flood events but has a high availability of flood EWS.
Delhi, in the throes of severe flooding due to a raging Yamuna, is moderately exposed to extreme floods and has a moderate level of resilience through EWS. The report says that approximately 66 per cent of individuals in India are exposed to extreme flood events; however, only 33 per cent of them are covered by flood EWS. Moreover, 25 per cent of the Indian population is exposed to cyclones and their impacts, but cyclone warnings are available to 100 per cent of the exposed population, the report said.
Research shows that 97.51 million people in India are exposed to extreme flood events, and most districts are exposed to more than one extreme event, highlighting the importance of making EWS available to all in the country, especially in the states and districts most exposed to its impacts.
It said that more than 88 per cent of the Indian states exposed to floods and 100 per cent of the states exposed to extreme cyclone events have a high teledensity ratio, which means to access early warnings through telecommunications.
The change in weather patterns that is leading to abrupt amends suggests that owing to the wanton use of natural resources that we have resorted to we may have to face a difficult phase ahead.
According to a latest survey, regions of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to witness an increase in high temperature over periods of 2030, 2050 and 2085.
The Forest Survey of India (FSI) in collaboration with the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Goa has performed a study based on ‘Mapping of Climate Change Hotspots in Indian Forests’.
According to the India State of Forests Report (ISFR) 2021, the collaborative study was carried out with the objective to map climatic hotspots over the forest cover in India, using computer model-based projection of temperature and rainfall data, for the future time periods i.e. year 2030, 2050 and 2085.
The study has observed that Ladakh, Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are projected to witness high temperature increase, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands, West Bengal, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are projected to witness the least temperature rise over these periods.
Notably, north-eastern states and Upper Malabar coast of India are projected to experience highest increase in rainfall, whereas, part of north-eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, north-western parts of the country namely Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are projected to experience least increase and sometimes even decline in rainfall.
The weather patterns that we may have to experience suggests that we have to make preparations in advance to minimize the damages and losses and help the people to tackle the situation in a planned way.
