Lok Sabha Question No. 3336 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-12
Subject: Impact of Climate Change
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3336

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.07.2019

## Impact of Climate Change

## 3336. DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

a) whether the Government has conducted any study to assess the impact of climate change on different eco-systems including agriculture in India during the last two years,

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether any action plan has been chalked out by the Government to combat ill effects of climate change in coordination with other global agencies; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and the salient features of such action plan?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a)  and  (b) Under  the  National  Innovations  in  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA) project  implemented  by  the  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  during  20112017, studies were conducted on likely impact of changing weather variables on crop yields across the country. Wheat yield is projected to reduce by 6 to 12% towards the end of the century with significant spatio-temporal variations. Analysis of rainfall variability and rainfed rice  productivity  indicates  close  correlation  of  rice  yields  to  monthly  rainfall  with  largest variations during second fortnight of September.

Department  of  Science  &  Technology  (DST)  has  supported  Indian  Agriculture  Research Institute, New Delhi and Banaras Hindu University to study the impact of climate change on rice,  wheat  and  sugarcane  through  crop  simulation  models  for  Indo-Gangetic  Region.  The impact of climate change on diseases and insect-pests of chickpea and pigeon pea crop was also  studied  in  collaboration  with  International  Crops  Research  Institute for  the  Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad.

DST  is  also  supporting  studies  to  investigate  the  implications  of  climate  change  driven extreme  events  in  the  Indian  coastal  regions  and  to  evaluate  the  vulnerability  of  coastal infrastructure and water resources due to climate change.

National Water Mission under Ministry of Jal Shakti has been conducting studies on impact of  climate  change  on  Hydro-meteorological  processes  and  water  resources  for  seven  river basins  namely  Mahanadi,  Mahi,  Luni,  Tapi,  Sabarmati,  Subarnarekha and  western  flowing rivers from Tadri to Kanyakumari in association with research institutes like IITs, NITs, IISc and National Institute of Hydrology.

Further,  a  report  titled  'Climate  Change  and  India:  A  4X4  Assessment  -  A  Sectoral  and Regional  Analysis  for  2030s'  of  this  Ministry  provides  assessment  of  impacts  of  climate change in 2030 in four key sectors of Indian economy, namely, agriculture, water, forests and human  health  in  four  climate  sensitive  regions  of  India,  viz.  the  Himalayan  region,  the Western Ghats, the Coastal region and the North-Eastern Region.

(c) and (d) Climate change is a global phenomenon and requires cooperation of all nations based  on  the  principle  of  'Common  but  Differentiated  Responsibilities  and  Respective Capabilities'.  India  is  a  Party  to  the  United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate Change, its Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. India is meeting its commitments under the  aforesaid  instruments.  Actions  by  eight  missions  under  the  National  Action  Plan  on Climate Change (NAPCC) are being implemented by various Ministries in the area of solar energy,  energy  efficiency,  sustainable  habitat,  water,  Himalayan  ecosystem,  Green  India, sustainable agriculture and strategic knowledge for climate change. Thirty-three States/Union Territories  have  also  prepared  State  Action  Plan  on  Climate  Change  in  line  with  NAPCC taking into account State's specific issues relating to climate change. Under NICRA project as  part  of  National  Mission  on  Sustainable  Agriculture,  heat  and  drought  tolerant  wheat, flood  tolerant  rice,  drought  tolerant  pulses,  water  logging  and  high  temperature  tolerant tomato  varieties  have  been  developed.  ICAR  in  collaboration  with  International  Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics has worked on a project for enhancing resilience to climate variability and change in watersheds with a focus on groundnut and pigeon pea in the Indian  semi-arid  tropics.  The  Technology  Demonstration  Component  of  NICRA  enhances resilience  and  adaptive  capacity  of  the  farmers  and  addresses  climate  variability  in  151 climatically vulnerable districts of the country.

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