Cabinet nod to climate change policy in Maharashtra
Policy focuses on developing environment friendly villages, cities across state.
The state cabinet has given its approval to the state’s climate change adaptation policy on Tuesday that focuses on developing the environment friendly villages and cities in the state. The state government has also decided to set up a separate cell to oversee the implementation of the policy. Officials from the environment department said the Centre had asked the states to prepare the state action plan on the climate change after the national action plan on climate change was made public in 2008. The state government had given the task of preparing the action plan to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
“The action plan has been prepared considering the climate changes in 2030, 2050 and 2070. It focuses on the impacts on the sectors such as farming, food security, health, water sources, basic infrastructure with others and the mitigating efforts to be taken to deal with it,” said an official from the department, adding that there has been an average rise in 0.8 Celsius temperature since 1880 and it has impacted rainfall, health, agriculture and a few other sectors.
The official further said that while it has suggested that the average temperature would rise in the state, the minimum temperature is likely to increase more than the maximum temperature. “It means the temperatures, rainfall and heat index is likely to increase in the state. The study has also been carried out to see the likely highest impact of the climate change in the districts. The vulnerability index has showed that Nandurbar is likely to have the highest impact of the climate change,” added the official. Nandurbar is followed by Dhule, Buldhana, Jalgaon, Hingoli, Nashik, Jalna, Gondiya, Washim and Gadchiroli.
Another official said that the state action plan on the climate change focuses on the 14 major suggestions pertaining to departments such as forests, irrigation, agriculture, energy, health, public works department, disaster management, rural and urban development, environment and others. “These 14 suggestions include protecting the sources of the river to increase the
“These 14 suggestions include protecting the sources of the river to increase the ground water levels, encouraging the research and plantation of the new varieties in the crops and orchards, promoting alternate resources for employment, increasing farm produce with the use of solar energy, developing the climate-proof villages, water conservation through public participation and others,” explained the official. It also focuses on the health issues, mangrove conservation and providing basic infrastructure for the fishing business. The other suggestions include
It also focuses on the health issues, mangrove conservation and providing basic infrastructure for the fishing business. The other suggestions include amendment in the disaster management plan, setting up separate disaster management cell for districts based on their vulnerability, preparing stringent norms to curb pollution from vehicles in the cities, developing environment friendly cities, added the official.
A separate cell would be set up for the implementation of these recommendation and for coordinating with the Union government and the NGOs. The cell would be entrusted with the task of policy decisions, research and technology development and coordination with the national and international organisations.
Source: indianexpress
