Climate change harming farming, livelihood: Experts

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 28

The need to bridge the communication gap between climate experts and the media was stressed at the state-level media workshop on climate change which also highlighted the issues like rising temperature, melting glaciers, erratic and receding rain and erratic snowfall affecting agriculture, horticulture and livelihood in Himachal Pradesh.

The adaption measures under the State Climate Action Plan and initiatives taken to address these issues were also discussed during the workshop. A state action plan based on inputs collected from experts as well as community representatives had been prepared, which is a dynamic document and provides a framework for both mitigation and adaptation, Archana Sharma, Director, Department of Environment, Science and Technology said.

“The state is implementing a programme on sustainable livelihoods of rural communities, funded under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change”, she added.

Dr Suresh C Attri, principal scientific officer, Department of Environment, Science and Technology, gave a detail of factors adding to climate change and also the steps being taken to meet the challenges through participation of community.

Dr Kirtiman Awasthi, senior policy adviser, Climate Change at GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation), said the GIZ had funded a project to explore how climate change could be integrated into the planning process at the village and district level. The pilot project has started at Kandror in Bilaspur district.

Dr Manmohan Singh, Director local MeT office, pointed out that the monsoon in the state was expanding but overall rainfall and snowfall is declining. Dr S Randhawa, senior scientific officer, HP Council of Science and Technology, said the health of glaciers was direct indicator of climate change. In the Spiti valley, the de-glaciation had been to the extent of 10 to 12 per cent during 2001 and 2007. The rate of retreat of glaciers in Baspa and Parvati basins had also been fast since 1962 and as high as 172 meters per year in some cases.

Prof S K Bhardwaj from Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry said climate change was affecting the quality as well as yield of apple crop since impacts were felt at any stage of crop growth and development. Due to erratic weather conditions and climate change, the orchardists had started growing other fruits like pomegranate, kiwi and even vegetables like cabbage in apple orchards.