Restoring Fair Weather
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 19 2012 -
Two women farmers planting paddy on their dried fields at Sora in July 2012 :: Pix - HL
The climatic condition of Manipur may be still described as salubrious in the brochures brought out by the State Government for promotion of tourism.
But in reality, the climatic condition of Manipur is far from being salubrious today.
With its once dense forest covers reducing and the natural wetlands dotting every part of the State disappearing, Manipur is today no stranger to the impact of climate change and the people have already started feeling the heat of global warming.
The annual rainfall rate in the State has come down from 2217.90 millilitre in 1968 to 916.90 millilitre in 2007 while rise in temperature has been recorded from 25° C in 1969 to 29.72° C in 2008.
Today, air conditioning is no longer a luxury item in Manipur but a necessity in most houses. Around a couple of decades back, this was something which we could not have been able to imagine even in our wildest dreams.
But today it is very much a reality. What is even more worrisome is the impact of climate change on the rich bio-diversity of the region and the environment.
Erratic rainfall patterns and drought like situation being experienced over the years more often than not has led to low productivity, thus, giving a serious setback on the economic growth of the State which largely depends on agriculture and other allied activities.
In such a situation, it is good to know that the Government of Manipur has taken up necessary steps for implementation of its State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC).
With a commitment to combat the challenges posed by climate change, SAPCC has been drafted with the assistance of Deutsche Gesellschaff Fiir Internationale Zusamonnarbeit, an agency working for Government of Germany in the field of environment.
An interesting aspect of SAPCC is the special focus given to promotion of understanding on climate change, adaptation, mitigation and natural resource conservation through eight missions namely, State Mission for Ecosystem, State Mission for Agriculture & Allied, State Mission for Health & Security, State Mission for Green Manipur, State Energy Mission, State Mission for Urban Planning and State Mission for Climate change knowledge and & information.
It is said that the State Action Plan is to be implemented in line with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) for sustainable environmental management and to address the urgent and critical concerns of the State through a directional approach.
All these are okay, but how well the State Missions would be translated into action still a billion dollar question.
We could not help, but be skeptical on this point considering the fact that implementation part of any project or policy is where the State Government and its related departments meet their nemesis.
Anyway, we would be happy to accept defeat if proven wrong when it comes to implementation of SAPCC and fair weather that Manipur has been known for is restored.
After all, this is an issue whose negligence would spell doom for mankind. Period.
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