Assam has 15 of India’s 25 districts most vulnerable to climate change | Media Pyro

15 of India’s 25 districts most vulnerable to climate change are in Assam, state Science, Technology and Climate Minister Keshab Mahanta told the 126-member Assembly on Friday.

Of the 15 districts, Karimganj is the most vulnerable in the country, he said while replying to a question by BJP MP Mrinal Saikia.

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“Underwater Districts”

Karimganj is one of the three districts that make up the Barak Valley in southern Assam. The other two districts – Cachar and Hailakandi – were more vulnerable, said Mr. Thank you.

Silchar, the capital of Cachar, experienced the worst floods in July with almost 95% of the city under water.

“It is therefore important that adaptation plans to combat the effects of climate change are based on the current development process to avoid the financial burden of adaptation in the long term”Thank you KeshabMinister of Science, Technology and Climate

Other districts of Assam that are vulnerable to climate change are Baksa, Barpeta, Darrang, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Golaghat, Kokrajhar, Morigaon, Sivasagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia.

Citing a 2021 report by the Energy, Environment and Water Council, Mr. Mahanta said Assam has the highest index of overall vulnerability in the country resulting in significant variability in rainfall intensity. “Golaghat district, through which the Doyang River flows to join the Brahmaputra, has not seen a normal monsoon in the last 30 years,” he said.

“There has been a significant increase in the frequency of flood events since 2010. Last year, more than 1.4 million people were displaced by floods along the Brahmaputra in 18 of Assam’s 33 districts,” said Mr. Thank you.

The minister cited the Assam State Climate Change Action Plan report which predicted an increase in average temperature of 1.7-2.2˚C “by mid-century compared to the period between 1971 and 2000”.

According to the report, the incidence of extreme rainfall events has likely increased by 5-38% and floods by more than 25% by mid-century.

“It is therefore important that adaptation plans to combat the effects of climate change are based on the current development process to avoid the financial burden of adaptation in the long term,” said Mr. Thank you.

He added that the government was taking measures such as the extensive planting of indigenous tree species and the utilization of renewable energy to reduce the impact of climate change.