Lok Sabha Question No. 4296 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-13
Subject: Climate Related Disasters
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Rajmohan Unnithan

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4296

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.12.2019

## Climate Related Disasters

## 4296.   SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

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

- (a) whether the Government has any statistics on the average annual number of deaths that can be attributable to climate related disasters in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has any plan or project to manage and mitigate the climate change related disasters and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the number of times the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change (PMCCC) has conducted meeting in 2019 along with their outcome thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  and  (b)  The  climate  model  simulation  studies  done  by  various  agencies  including Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate  Change  (IPCC)  project  possible  linkages  of  climate change with frequency and intensity of weather related events. However, there is paucity of data  to  establish  direct  correlation  of  climate  change  with  number  of  deaths  that  can  be attributed to occurrence of natural disasters due to climate change.

(c) India Meteorological Department (IMD) is doing monitoring, detection and forecasting of weather  and  climate  including  early  warning  for  severe  weather  events  such  as,  heavy rainfall, extreme temperature, cyclones etc. The forecasts and warnings are issued by IMD at the National, State and District levels. It has a network of State Meteorological Centres for better coordination with State and District Level Agencies.

In order to meet specific requirements of flood forecasting, Central Water Commission (CWC), Ministry of Jal Shakti,  and  IMD are operating  Flood Meteorological Offices  (FMOs)  at  thirteen  locations  in  the  country.  CWC  is  working  in  close  association with IMD and State Governments for timely flood forecast whenever the river water level rises  above  warning  level.  FMOs  provide  meteorological  support  to  the  CWC  for  issuing flood warnings well in advance in respect of the 43 rivers of India covering 146 river basins. CWC issues flood forecasts 6 hrs. to 30 hrs. in advance for 176 stations.

IMD also issues early warning for Heat wave. IMD in collaboration with local health departments have started heat action plan in many parts of the country to forewarn about the heat  waves  and  also  advising  action  to  be  taken  during  such  occasions.    National  Disaster Management  Authority  (NDMA)  and  IMD  are  working  with  23  states  prone  to  high temperatures leading to heat-wave conditions to develop heat action plans.

To mitigate impact of thunderstorms and associated severe weather phenomena, IMD issues three hourly nowcasts for about 600 stations in India on regular basis. IMD has three Area Cyclone Warning Centres at Chennai, Kolkata & Mumbai and four Cyclone Warning Centres at Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Thiruvananthapuram and Visakhapatnam for carrying out  operational  warning  activities  at  state  level  and  to  carry  out  related  research  & development activities.

The  Government  of  India  has  also  initiated  the  National  Cyclone  Risk  Mitigation Project (NCRMP) with a view to address cyclone risks in the country. The overall objective of the Project is to undertake suitable structural and non-structural measures to mitigate the effects of cyclones in the Coastal States and UTs of India.

The  NDMA  has  issued  several  disaster  specific  guidelines  for  managing  extreme weather-related disasters such as cyclones, floods and heat  wave. National Disaster Management  Plan  (NDMP)  has  been  formulated  to  assist  all  stakeholders  including  State Governments in disaster risk management.

(d) One meeting of the Executive Committee on Climate Change, which is to assist Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change (PMCCC) has been convened in 2019.

*****