Lok Sabha Question No. 2328 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Loss due to Climate Change
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Kalaben Mohanbhai Delkar, Malook Nagar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2328

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023

## Loss due to Climate Change

## 2328.   SHRIMATI DELKAR KALABEN MOHANBHAI: SHRI MALOOK NAGAR:

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

- (a) Whether the country is witnessing critical climate change, devastating flood and loss of lives;
- (b) If so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of loss of life and property during the last three years, State-wise and the year-wise;
- (d) whether the country has faced financial deficit because of the climate change;
- (e) If so, the details thereof; and
- (f) The details of remedial steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) to (e) Observations indicate that incidences of extreme weather conditions have increased across the globe including India in the recent decades. However, there is no established study for  India  providing  a  quantified  contribution  of climate change  triggering natural  disasters. The changes as observed may rise from a number of causes, including the inherent variability in  climatic  systems  that  are  common  in  the  biosphere  and  geosphere.  While  many  studies monitor disasters such as drought, floods and breaking of glaciers, the science of attribution of these changes particularly to climate change is far more complex and currently an evolving subject.

Towards  the  fulfilment  of  reporting  obligations  under  the  United  Nations  Framework Convention on Climate Change  (UNFCCC),  India  has  submitted its  Third National Communication report based on GHG inventory of 2019. The report highlights the national circumstances  on  climate  change  and  its  impacts  which  interalia  mentions  that  extreme precipitation and flooding events have affected  several parts of India in recent years (2020 and 2021). These floods were caused by heavy precipitation, as well as events such as glacier breaks  and  flash  floods,  and  avalanches.  These  events  caused  the  loss  of  lives,  massive damage to crops, public infrastructure, and private property across several districts in India.

As per the information received from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), no centralized data on loss of life and property due to extreme weather conditions in the states/ union territories is maintained. Each state has its own State Disaster Management Authority to deal with such events.

(f) Flood management control falls within the purview of the States. Flood management projects  are  formulated  and  implemented  by  concerned  State  Governments  as  per  their priority. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical guidance and also promotional financial assistance for management of floods in critical areas. Flood  management  measures  are  broadly  categorized  as  Structural  Measures  and  NonStructural Measures. Integrated flood approach aims at adopting judicious mix of structural and  non-structural  measures  to  provide  a  reasonable  degree  of  protection  against  flood damages at economic cost.

Further, few additional measures undertaken by Government are as follows:

- i. Central Water Commission (CWC) is the nodal Organisation entrusted with the task of  flood  forecasting  &  early  flood  warnings  in  the  country.  Presently,  CWC  issues flood  forecasts  for  338  forecasting  stations  (200  river  level  forecast  stations  &  138 dam/ barrage inflow forecast stations). These stations cover 20 major river basins in 23  States  &  2  Union  Territories.  In  order  to  provide  more  lead  time  to  the  local authorities  to  plan  evacuation  of  people  &  take  other  remedial  measures,  Central Water Commission (CWC) has developed basin wise flood forecasting model based on rainfall-runoff mathematical modelling for 5 days advance flood forecast advisory at its forecasting stations.
- ii. India  Meteorological  Department,  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  in  collaboration  with Indian  Council  of Agriculture  Research  (ICAR)  and  other  institutions  is  rendering District/Block level Agrometeorological Advisory Services (AAS) for the benefits of farmers  in  the  country under the  scheme  'Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa  (GKMS)'. The  main  emphasis of the existing  AAS  system  is to collect and organize climate/weather,  soil  and  crop  information,  and  to  amalgamate  them  with  weather forecast to assist farmers to take decisions on day-to-day farm operations, which can further  optimize  the  application  of  input  resources  at  farm  level  during  deficient rainfall  situation  and  extreme  weather  events  to  reduce  monetary  loss  and  to maximize crop yield.
- iii. Rainfed Area Development (RAD) Programme under National Mission for Sustainable  Agriculture  (NMSA)  focuses  on  Integrated  Farming  System  (IFS)  for enhancing  productivity  and  minimizing  risks  associated  with  climatic  variability. Under this system, crops/cropping system is integrated with activities like horticulture, livestock, fishery, agro-forestry, apiculture etc. to enable farmers not only in maximizing farm returns for sustaining livelihood, but also to mitigate the impacts of drought, flood or other extreme weather events.
- iv. Flood  management  and  anti-erosion  schemes  are  formulated  and  implemented  by concerned State Governments as per their priority. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical guidance and promotional financial assistance for management of floods in critical areas.
- v. Guidelines  have  been  prepared  by  the  National  Disaster  Management Authority  to enable the various implementers and stakeholder agencies to address effectively the critical areas for minimising flood damages.
- vi. National  Disaster  Management  Plan  (NDMP)  has  been  formulated  to  assist  all stakeholders  including  State  Governments  in  disaster  risk  management  of  various hazards including hazards related to climate change.
- vii. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare  has  launched  a  flagship  network  project  namely  National  Innovations  in Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA).  The  project  aims  to  develop  and  promote climate  resilient  agriculture  to  address  vulnerable  areas  of  the  country  and  help  the districts and regions to cope up with extreme weather conditions like droughts, floods, frost, heat waves, etc.
- viii. Government of India has implemented Integrated Coastal Zone Management project (ICZMP) that has contributed, inter-alia, mapping of hazard line, Ecosensitive Area, Sediment cell for the entire coastline of India. This line is required to be used by the Coastal State agencies concerned  as a tool for Disaster Management for the coastal environment, including planning of adaptive and mitigation measures.

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