Draft climate change action plan ready
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 07 2012:
The State action plan on climate change has been drafted by the Directorate of Environment and it would soon be tabled at a meeting of the steering committee headed by the Chief Secretary as chairman before final approval is sought from the advisory committee headed by the Chief Minister.
An official source informed that the draft action plan was formulated by the Directorate of Environment in collaboration with a German firm.
The Directorate has already sent copies of the draft to different departments regarding the measures that would be implemented by different departments in their respective sectors.
The draft action plan would be deliberated in a meeting of the State steering committee within the current month after which it would sent to the State advisory committee headed by the CM as chairman for due approval.
The State action plan on climate change is giving priority to preservation and protection of wetlands which are fast vanishing in the State.
As per the action, 17 wetlands/lakes which have been already identified by the Directorate of Environment would be preserved and developed anew and they include Zeliad lake in Tamenglong district, Zaimeng in Senapati district, Khayang in Ukhrul district, and Lamphelpat, Yaralpat, Pumlenpat, Ikoppat, Lousipat, Waithoupat, Ahongbi Khong, Ushoipokpi, Sanapat (Andro), Uttrapat, Loktak, Tangkha, Kanampat, Heingangpat, Lamdabung and Sanapat (Bishnupur) in the valley districts.
The action plan is based on eight core issues namely; livelihood, water resources, agriculture, health, forest and biodiversity, energy, urban planning and strategic knowledge.
Opinions of climatology experts which predicted that global climate change would affect hill areas first has turned out true, the official source pointed that the drought-like situation witnessed in the State this year was an offshoot of the global climate change.
In the meantime, Chief Minister O Ibobi presided a consultative meeting last Friday and discussed about the DPR for a project which would not only check seasonal flood in Lamphelpat and surrounding areas but also make its water suitable for household consumption.
It is reported that DPR of the project which would be implemented by IFCD would be finalised within a month and sent to the Union Water Resources Ministry for necessary funding.