Climate Change Jeopardizing livelihood of many in Odisha
Thousands of fisher people, salt
workers and agricultural labourers have left their home to work
elsewhere in the state and country because of the rising sea level, fall
in fish catch, erratic monsoon and flash floods. Similarly in South and
Western Odisha people in large numbers have migrated to the nearest and
far-off places across the country due to failure of successive crops
and threat of an imminent drought condition. Not only this, the spate of
farmers’ suicide is still continuing in the state. At least 10 farmers
have killed themselves during the last few weeks. And all this is
happening because of the climatic adversaries and increasing threat of
livelihood for rural artisans.
The threat of global climate change
has caused concern for many. Not only scientists but also common people
are much worried about the change in climatic pattern. Both land and
ocean temperatures are increasing. Hazards include increased flooding in
low-lying areas, greater frequency and severity of droughts in
semi-arid areas, and excessive heat conditions. All of which can limit
crop growth and yields. Although the effects of changes in climate on
crop yields are likely to vary greatly from region to region, it is
feared that agriculture production and food security could be affected
both globally and locally. As a result of which people in large numbers
will be homeless, jobless and resourceless. That would force them to
leave those areas of their present habitation. And in all probability
world will produce millions of climate refugees. That’s’ why migration
and poverty are much talked about now.
This year we are celebrating 20
years of Rio-Sustainable Development Summit declarations. A month ago
FAO published a comprehensive report on water and land resources, which
said, world food production grew up. During the last 50 years, land
under cultivation increased up to 12 per cent, but still 2 billion
people in the world are living Below Poverty Line. Poor farmers in
developing countries are especially vulnerable to these impacts of
climate change because of their geographical exposure, low incomes, and
greater reliance on agriculture as well as limited capacity to seek
alternative livelihoods.
As temperature continues to rise,
the impact on agriculture will be significant. This impact is already
being experienced by many communities. There will also be an increase in
droughts and heavy precipitation events, which will further damage
crops through crop failure, flooding, soil and wind erosion. An increase
in intense tropical cyclone activities will cause crop damage in
coastal eco-systems, while sea-level rise will reduce cropping areas and
will salinize coastal aquifers.
Over the past 50 years, humans have
changed eco-systems more rapidly and extensively than that in any
comparable period of time of inhuman history. Between 1960 and 2005, the
demand for eco-system services grew significantly as the world
population doubled to over 6 billion people and the global economy
increased more than six fold. To meet these growing demands, food
production increased by roughly two-and-a-half times, water use doubled,
wood harvests for pulp and paper production tripled, and timber
production increased by more than half. Agriculture is an essential
component of societal well-being and it occupies 40 per cent of the land
surface, consumes 70 per cent of global water resources and exploits
biodiversity at genetic, species and eco-systems levels. At every point
of production, agriculture is influenced by eco-systems, biodiversity,
climate and the economy. Modern agriculture is a
fossil-fuel-energy-intensive industry and its development is tightly
linked to energy factors, trade and globalisation.
In this connection, we need to think
about Gandhiji’s ideas and how environmental friendly were the people,
during those days. But we have not given any importance to such issues
since 1950s.
In all probability 1950 would be the
base year in case of assessing the trends of disasters experienced due
to climate change and environmental disorders. To prove this trend let’s
take an example: the destruction of forests was only 2000 sq.km during
1945-80s whereas the destruction reached at 24,000 sq.km during the
period 1980-2000.
Odisha has been witnessing a warm
climate with ever-increasing number of hot days and higher summer
temperature, chronic drought and flash floods. As per a report of World
Health Organisation (WHO), around 1.5 lakh people are dying each year
because of the effects of climate change. Industrial areas like Angul,
Talcher, Rourkela, Rajgangpur, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Choudwar are
identified as industrial hot spots within Odisha. The temperature of
Talcher and Jharsuguda rise up to even 50 degree centigrade. Bhubaneswar
temperature is also rising due to city expansion and lot of concrete
structures including apartments and also lack of proportionately tree
coverage.
All these hotspots have been
identified as per a Heat Island Study. Besides these, increasing mining
activities ultimately help in large-scale deforestation, displacement
and related rehabilitation. The then Member Secretary of Central
Pollution Board, New Delhi, has highlighted about Odisha’s steel
industry and how the steel industry works as a large Green House Gas
(GHG) emitter.
It is mentioned that Puri, Gopalpur
Satabhaya and Kantiagarh, Pentha sea beaches are mostly vulnerable and
prone to sea erosion while Titilagarh, Talcher, Sukinda and Jharsuguda
are recorded as the highly warming up areas so far as geographical areas
of Odisha are concerned. Unprecedented floods, cyclone, drought and
sunstroke are being experienced every year where thousands of casualties
and loss of habitats and livelihoods are reported. This concern was
widely felt over by the study and subsequent needs also emerged to have
researched upon it for taking up various adaptation and mitigation
measures.
Odisha has never experienced any
such year where it does not have any natural disaster. So far as the
issue is concerned, one hundred disasters are recorded in last 150
years. Odisha government has already installed a radar in Paradeep with
an investment of Rs 12 crore for tsunami and cyclone warning assessment
with an aim to protect life and livelihood of human being as well as
domestic animals. Other projects are also in the pipeline and to be
installed in collaboration with Government of India. Government of
Odisha has always been saying that it is equipped with all technologies
to enable it to evacuate at least two lakh people within a span of
two/three hours during any disaster warning but disasters are still
continuing in the state killing thousands and destroying life and
livelihood of millions.
When asked, a senior state
government official said, “The evacuation plan as made available with
Orissa Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) is scientific and it is
being practised by OSDMA during pre, during and post-disaster time.” He
laid emphasis on advance preparedness for facing such disasters.
Needless to mention that he made a promise to provide the required funds
for taking forward the action plan, the same action plan shall also be
assessed at OSDMA level prior to approval.
He also reiterated the role of
corporate and NGOs in implementing and designing various development
projects particularly on climate change mitigation.
It has been a great concern that
lakhs of people in Odisha would become climate refugees, if the
situation would continue where adaptation, mitigation and rehabilitation
measures are very much necessary. In other words, daily wage earners,
fisher folk and the aged would definitely be victims of climate change,
which ultimately work adversely and affect human rights and disrupt
social justice.
While speaking to this
correspondent, Manas Ranjan Mishra, a prominent development analyst,
said, “The draft Odisha Climate Change Action Plan (OCCAP) prepared
under the aegis of the World Bank and DFID does not consider the concern
and interest of common people of the state. Neither does it reflect
state’s seriousness towards self-discipline, sobriety and adaptation;
rather vociferously reiterates its nexus with neo-liberal lobby which
propounds reckless industrialisation and unwarranted investment.”
He further added, “Notwithstanding
the fact that its citizens are either the victims of climate change or
are the vulnerable lot at coastal areas and the hills, the government
treats them as the climate criminals while allowing the criminals to
expand and multiply their crimes. With its focus on promoting
investment-intensive measures as a tool to encourage state’s ongoing
unabated industrialisation drive, it looks more as an “Investment Plan
for Industrialisation” offering almost nothing for state’s farmers,
fishers, forest-produce gatherers.”
However, an analysis made by Focus
Odisha Forum on climate change revealed Odisha government’s Draft
Climate Change Action Plan with a huge budget of Rs 17,000 crore, which
seeks to help industries more by reducing their expenditure on adapting
to climate change, while providing hardly any budget for the victims of
climate change at Saatabhayaa, around Talcher and Jharsuguda.
It proposes a 15-fold increase in
the capacity of thermal power plants under the guise of improvement of
technology which alone could lead to at least thirteen times higher
levels of emission of heat and pollution. One can imagine the hazards
that the already boiling Talcher and Jharsuguda will face in this
scenario. A budget of Rs 5500-crore is made for reducing transmission
and distribution losses which is only going to help private energy
companies sell more electricity and make more money. On the contrary
allocation of mere Rs 4 crore for the establishment of biogas plants can
support only about 5000 biogas plants, which is even insufficient for
one block.
Two of the most critical areas of
climate change impacts are falling production in agriculture, livestock
and fishery; and increasing health hazards due to heat-related illnesses
and accidents. There is no budget under the action plan for something
as obvious and basic as preventing and treating heatstrokes. The
livestock sector is seen by the government less as a victim of climate
change and more as a producer of methane. The climate change action plan
accuses the farmers of Odisha of not killing old and unproductive
cattle due to religious cultural reasons and that this leads to
large-scale methane emissions.
By Sudarshan Chhotoray From Bhubaneswar
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