India lost 2081 lives and $37.8 billion (purchasing power parity) in 2018 as a result of extreme weather events such as floods and landslides induced by climate change, says Global Climate Risk Index 2020, a study by Germanwatch, a Bonn-based think tank. India is one of the most affected countries along with Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Madagascar and Sri Lanka.
The seasonal monsoon rains in 2018 that lasted from June to September had been a tough period for India. In Kerala, 324 people died in landslides and floods in in the heaviest rains in more than 100 years. Nearly 20 000 houses and 80 dams were destroyed and more than 2,20,000 people had to be evacuated. The southern state suffered $ 2.8 billion damage. The country’s east coast was hit by cyclones Titli and Gaja in October and November 2018.
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The Narendra Modi government is rolling out the national action plan on climate change to make India’s development process ecologically sustainability and to address the challenges posed by climate change in different regions of the country, the Rajya Sabha was informed. The plan consists of eight national missions including the national mission for sustaining the Himalayan eco-system (NMSHE), minister of state for environment, forest and climate change Babul Supriyo informed the House in in written reply on Monday.
NMSHE looks at evolving steps to sustain and safeguard the Himalayan glaciers and the mountain ecosystem. The mission undertakes monitoring of the Himalayan ecosystem through a network, community-based management, human resource development and strengthening of regional cooperation.
The government has prepared guidelines for sustaining Himalayan ecosystem and has shared them with all state governments in the Himalayan region. All states and Union territories have prepared their action plans on climate change to address state-specific issues. The ministry has notified coastal regulation zone notification 2019 and the island protection zone notification this year to regulate high impact activities on the coast to maintain coastal sustainability.
Sajna Nair is a former banker. Her areas of interest are environment, art and culture.