Disappearing forest cover exposes Tripura, other NE States to erratic climate shifts
While the effects of climate change are far-reaching across the world, Indias northeast region comprising eight states, would also bear the brunt in the near future despite 65 per cent of the regions 2,62,179 sq km geographical area being under forest cover, experts said.
Tripura based Centre for Aquatic Research and Environment Secretary and environment expert Apurba Kumar Dey said that as the effects of climate change are sweeping and multifarious, the government and all other stakeholders in close association with the people must jointly come forward to address the situation.
"Tribals, poor and vulnerable people, farmers are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. From rice to tea, farming across the board has been affected by variations in temperature and rainfall, causing distress to the concerned people directly and the others indirectly," Dey told IANS.
according to India State of Forest Report 2021 (ISFR 2021), the forest cover in the 140 hill districts of the country has shown a decrease of 902 sq km (0.32 per cent) with all eight states of the northeast region also showing a decline.
Experts predict that besides the gradual decline of the forest cover, urbanisation, increasing pollution in the urban areas of the northeast, reducing water bodies and various other factors along with the worldwide climate change would not spare the picturesque region.
They said that the climate of the mountainous northeast region of India is changing with the rainfall patterns over the region in the last century being considerably altered, resulting in its overall drying up.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research Principal Scientist Dr Sankar Prasad Das said that extreme events of climate change including excessive rainfall, frequent floods, increase in the number of dry days and rainless days, repeated cyclones and hailstorms in a short period are more challenging and disastrous.
"Though overall rainfall pattern in the region has not yet changed much, the distribution of rainfall has changed in the region. For some of the effects of climate change including rising temperatures, science and scientific arrangements are ready to tackle the situation for the next many years, but for the extreme events of climate change, we are not prepared," Das told IANS.
He said that there are many crop varieties developed to sustain the rising temperatures and floods in a limited sphere.
Das said that in India only 50 per cent cultivable land is under irrigation while 35 to 40 per cent cultivable land in the northeastern region is irrigated.
"Despite numerous challenges and problems, India last year exported 22 million tons of rice while the country has 316 million tons of excess foodgrain production," the scientist said.
Head of northeast India's biodiversity conservation organisation 'Aaranyak''s Water, Climate and Hazard Division Dr Partha Jyoti Das said that the Bharalu, Mora Bharalu, Basistha, Bahini, Pamohi, Khanajan, Kalmoni, and Bondajan are some of the prominent rivers and streams that drain the cityscape.
The Deepor Beel, Borsola, Sarusola and Silsako are the main wetlands that act as storm water reservoirs of Guwahati city.
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