NEED OF A TASK FORCE TO COUNTER CLIMATE CHANGE

Need of a task force to counter climate change

A two-day consultation was recently organised by an e-group Focus Orissa, in Bhubaneswar. The conference discussed the issue of climate change and advocated the need of a task force to tackle the problem

CJ: subhendu choudhury

Mon, Nov 24, 2008 18:42:24 IST

THE WIDELY expressed view that Orissa needs to have a task force on climate change, emerged in a two-day consultation organised by Focus Orissa from November 15 to November 16, 2008 at Red Cross Bhawan, Bhubaneswar.

The conference also stressed on a similar need to conduct various research studies and action programmes along the lines of adoption and mitigation of climate change. A network comprising of people from all sections is also needed to take the campaign forward.

Focus Orissa, an e-group having 700 members all around the world, conducted debate and discussions took place on the climatic change for the last two months. However, to reach to the people, Focus Orissa organised the two-day conference.

The conference noted that Puri, Gopalpur, Satabhaya and Kantiagarh sea beaches are mostly vulnerable to sea while Titilagarh, Talcher, Sukinda and Jharsuguda were recorded as the highly warm areas within Orissa.

Unprecedented floods, cyclone, drought and sunstroke, resulting in thousands of casualties along with loss of habitats and livelihoods, are being reported every year. The concern was widely felt over by the workshop and the subsequent need to have research also emerged.

As chief guest of the inaugural session, Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Manmohan Samal expressed with deep concern that there is no such year, which has not experienced any natural disaster. According to official records, about hundred disasters have been reported in the last 100 years.

While addressing the conference, the minister informed that Orissa government has already installed a Radar in Paradeep with an investment of Rs 12 crore for Tsunami & Cyclone warning assessment. Other three projects are also in the pipeline and will be installed in collaboration with the Central government. He further said, “Now we are equipped with all the technology to evacuate two lakh of people within a two to three hours.

While speaking in various sessions, special relief commissioner (SRC) & managing director OSDMA Shri Nikunj Sunderay, CII Orissa chapter chairman Shri Santosh Mohapatra and director of agriculture & food production, government of Orissa Dr Arvind Padhy, expressed concern over growing disparities in the climate and warming.

The workshop, which spread over four technical sessions, witnessed the presentation of thematic papers on climatic change and its related issues. The speakers included - Achyut Das, director, Agragamee, Dr Manoj K Mahapatra, RCDC, Tapan K Padhi, director, NID, Prof S N Pasupalak, OUAT, Dr NLNS Prasad and Dr VP Upadhyaya, directors of Ministry of Environment & Forests; Sahid Ummar, senior geologist, Geological Survey of India, Bharathi Charka, Vasundhara, Aashish Senapati, journalist; Biren Nayak, Action Aid, Sanjay Pattanaik, RCDC; KK Rath, cartoonist; Dr Dhanda K Mishra, HDF; Pranab R Choudhury and Prabhat C Sutar.

More than hundred participants and delegates from various parts of the country representing state governments, the Central government , NGOs, INGOs, experts took part in deliberations sharing of their views towards adaptation & mitigation of the climate change.

Among others, state information commissioner, Jagadananda; ex-SIC, Prof Radha Mohan, Dr Bhagaban Prakash, MF Ahmed, Praful Sahoo, Dr SN Patro of OES, Dr Satyananda Acharya, ex-Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University, Nageswar Patnaik, Dhirendra Panda and Sai Prasan also spoke on this occasion.

http://www.merinews.com/article/need-of-a-task-force-to-counter-climate-change/150288.shtml