BENGALURU: Three years ago when there was fear that a growing glacial lake behind south Lhonak Glacier in Sikkim could touch off glacial outburst floods, it’s the Divecha Centre for Climate Change (DCCC) at IISc that came to the rescue of the government of India.
Scientists at the centre held detailed discussions and undertook field visits before suggesting a siphon system to remove excess water. The simple solution that did not require any electrical power or complex equipment was not only successfully implemented in Sikkim, but is also coming handy at other potential glacial lake outburst sites in the Himalayas.
This year marks a decade of the establishment of the DCCC, which has turned into the go-to place for analysing and resolving many climate change issues in the country.
Established in 2009, the centre was dedicated to study climate change and was the first of its kind in India. It has since been researching melting glaciers, glacial lakes, photovoltaic panels for trains, renewable energy, changing monsoons and impact of global warming on forests and biodiversity at Western Ghats.
Prof SK Satheesh, chairman, DCCC, said:”In disseminating climate-related information to members of Parliament and state legislative assemblies, and other government institutions, the centre has helped by providing region- specific climate change policy and suggesting suitable interventions to tackle climate change issues.”
“We also have interactions with neighbouring nations and climate change experts from other parts of the world to share our knowledge on ways to mitigate climate change scenarios,” he added.
The climate centre undertakes outreach activities as well to create awareness among citizens, students and policy makers regarding climate change and its consequences.
Professor J Srinivasan, founder chairman and distinguished scientist at DCCC said, “We have regular outreach activities like climate change quiz, invited lectures, the annual Jeremy Grantham public lecture and interaction with school students to make the community around us aware of climate change and its impact.”
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
