Home to 60% of India’s ‘vulnerable’ districts, J’khand sees sharp spike in average temperature

By Shambhu Nath Choudhary

Ranchi, Nov 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) Jharkhand is a state which has suffered badly due to climate change, be it farming, rainfall, temperature, ground water, weather patterns, etc. Reports from the government have confirmed this.

In 2020, IIT-Mandi, IIT-Guwahati and IISc Bangalore prepared the Climate Vulnerability Index report of the states of India based on research. Apart from Jharkhand, Mizoram, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal were found to be among the most vulnerable states. In this index, 60 per cent of the top 100 sensitive districts of the country have been identified in Jharkhand, Assam and Bihar.

Last year, a report by the Government of India (Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India) also revealed that Jharkhand is one of the most vulnerable states in the country.

The Central government has also recently admitted in Parliament that Jharkhand is one of the states with the most challenges arising from climate change. In the monsoon session of Parliament this year, BJP MP from the state Deepak Prakash had asked a question regarding the impact of climate change on Jharkhand. In response to this, the Central government had informed that there are 6 districts in Jharkhand where climate change is having a widespread and adverse effect on the agro-crop cycle.

The government, quoting the report of research by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), told Parliament that the districts of Garhwa, Godda, Gumla, Pakur, Sahibganj and West Singhbhum of Jharkhand have been marked in the high risk category in terms of climate change.

The ICAR under its NICRA (National Innovation on Climate Resilient Agriculture) project has studied the impact of climate change on agriculture across the country. A total of 18 rural districts of Jharkhand were included in this study. Out of these, in six districts which have been marked in the high-risk category, it has been reported that the production of crops like rice, wheat, maize, groundnut, gram and potato is being adversely affected by climate change.

Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Choubey, in response to the question of the BJP MP, had also said that efforts are being made to develop such varieties of rice, wheat, pulses and tomato in these districts, which can be produced in high temperature, or even in the event of excessive rainfall.

Nitish Priyadarshi, an environmentalist and geologist from Ranchi, has conducted research on climate change, ground water and environment-related topics in Jharkhand for many institutions in the country and abroad. He told IANS that on the basis of various studies and surveys in the last two and a half decades, he has come to the conclusion that there has been a tremendous change in the temperature and rainfall patterns in almost all the areas of Jharkhand.

In the same year, deficient rainfall in June-July and mid-August led to drought and severely affected Kharif cultivation. In contrast, there was good rain from mid-August to September-October. From April to June-July, those areas of Jharkhand, which were once identified as hill stations, saw a record increase in temperature.

Priyadarshi claims that in the coming 100-150 years, a large area of the state could turn into a desert if effective steps are not taken to control the rapid degradation of fertile land in the mining areas in Jharkhand.

The adverse effects of climate change are clearly visible here due to continuous deforestation, unplanned urban development, expansion of mining areas and excessive exploitation of ground water. Dozens of rivers in the state are also drying up, which used to have water throughout the year.

Data from the Meteorological Centre located in Ranchi shows that the state capital, once known as a hill station, is now becoming one of the hot cities.

According to the data, during the 45 years from 1969 to 2014, the average temperature of Ranchi has been 35.8 degrees Celsius, while the average maximum temperature has been recorded from 2015 to 2021 at 36.7 degrees C. There has been an average increase of one degree C in the maximum temperature in seven years. The average minimum temperature has also increased by 0.9 degrees C in these seven years as compared to 45 years.

A Wadood, a senior meteorologist from Jharkhand who retired as Director (Research) from Birsa Agricultural University, says "In the last 100 years, the temperature of the state has increased by an average of 1 degree C. This is not a good sign. Earlier, the state used to see 40-45 degree C temperature for one or two days. But now a record high temperature continues for several days. It has also started affecting the production of food items in the state."

In view of the challenges of climate change, an action plan of Rs 3,000 crore was prepared in Jharkhand two and a half years ago. This action plan has also been approved by the Central government, but work has not yet started on it at the ground level. A directorate was to be set up in the state for climate change, that too could not happen. Under this project, plans were to be prepared according to the climate change in Jharkhand.

According to the plan, Rs 333.25 crore was to be spent in the power sector, Rs 68 crore in industry, Rs 518 crore in agriculture, Rs 496 crore in the forestry sector. Under this project, work was to be done on water management, alternative energy sources, stopping exploitation of ground water, water harvesting and conservation of water sources, but the problem persists as the directorate was not set up.

The Jharkhand module of CRISP-M (Climate Resilience Information System and Planning) tool was launched in Ranchi on August 23 this year in collaboration with the UK government to provide real time useful information to farmers and the general public on climate change.

British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, who was present on the occasion, said that the CRISP-M tool is a web and mobile phone based Geographic Information System that will prove useful for the people of a state like Jharkhand. Actually, this tool has been brought as a pilot project in collaboration with the UK government in seven states of the country including Jharkhand.

Source: IANS