Lok Sabha Question No. 1797 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-08
Subject: Assistance to Small Island States
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1797

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2021

## ASSISTANCE TO SMALL ISLAND STATES

## 1797.  SHRI T.R. BAALU:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  ISRO  has  geared  up  to  provide  assistance  and support  to  small  island  states  to  help  them  protect  from inundation due to rising temperatures;
- if so, the details of the Scheme announced by the Hon'ble Prime  Minister  in  the  26 th   Conference  of  Parties  held  in Glasgow,  UK  by  United  Nations,  including  technical  and
- (b) financial assistance;
- (c) the details of countries to be benefitted from this assistance  and  the  financial  assistance  committed  by India at the Glasgow meet; and
- (d) whether  low  lying  coastal  areas  and  islands  in  various State  within  India  will  also  be  offered  similar  support  by ISRO and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PG & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

- (a) ISRO  has  the requisite technologies  and expertize to provide information on advance warning of cyclones, monitoring of coast lines and coral reefs using space based inputs.  ISRO  is  gearing  up  to  provide  such  information  to some  of  the  Small  Island  Developing  States  (SIDS)  in  the Indian Ocean Region.
- (b) India,  UK,  Australia,  Fiji,  Jamaica  and  Mauritius  jointly launched  an  initiative,  Infrastructure  for  Resilient  Island States  (IRIS) to  provide  technical  support  on  disaster resilience of infrastructure systems to SIDS, during the 26th Conference  of  Parties  held  in  Glasgow,  UK  by  United Nations.  IRIS, will also support SIDS by facilitating access to existing financial mechanisms for resilient infrastructure development. Through Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure  (CDRI),  IRIS  will  deliver  the  following  three outcomes:
- i. Improved resilience of SIDS infrastructure to climate change and disaster risks
- ii. Strengthened knowledge and partnerships for integrating resilience in SIDS infrastructure
- iii. Gender  equality  and  disability  inclusion  promoted through resilient SIDS infrastructure.
- (c) IRIS  will  extend  its  support  on  demand  basis  to  58  Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across geographic regions.
- (d) ISRO carries out prediction of track, intensity, landfall time and  location  of  all  cyclones  originated  in  Indian  Oceans using space based inputs. While India Meteorological Department  (IMD)  is  the  mandated  agency  to  provide  the Cyclone forecast advisories, ISRO supports IMD in improving  the  prediction  methodologies  and  publish  the R&D outputs for the help of all.

ISRO  has carried out vulnerability assessment  of the selected  states  along  the  Indian  coastal  region  and  has identified  coastal  stretch  that  are  susceptible  due  to  sea level rise. ISRO provides near real time prediction of storm surge and surge induced inundation for Indian coast during cyclone using satellite observations and numerical model.

Maps of coral reefs of  Indian  Ocean,  Red  Sea  and  Gulf  of Aden  have  been  published  and  are  updated  regularly. A region-specific Coral Bleaching Monitoring System based on  sea  surface  temperature  data  is  hosted  on  ISRO's VEDAS geoportal.

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