Climate Change and Disasters: Need for Innovative Solutions

(General Studies III – Environment Section – Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment. Disaster and Disaster Management.) 

• Climate change has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges for India in the 21st century.
• The warming of the planet, driven by global anthropogenic activities such as deforestation and the combustion of fossil fuels, has led to a marked increase in extreme weather events across the Indian subcontinent.
• These events pose significant risks to India’s economy, diverse ecosystems, and populous society, necessitating urgent and coordinated action at national and local levels.

Recent years have witnessed a notable surge in natural disasters such as –

1. Cyclones
2. Cyclone Amphan (2020): One of the strongest storms to hit the Bay of Bengal in over a decade, causing extensive damage in West Bengal and Odisha.
3. Cyclone Tauktae (2021): The strongest tropical cyclone to strike Gujarat since 1998, resulting in significant loss of life and infrastructure damage.
4. Floods
5. Kerala Floods (2018 and 2019): Unprecedented flooding caused by extreme rainfall events, leading to hundreds of deaths and massive economic losses.
6. Bihar Floods (2019): Affected millions of people, highlighting the vulnerability of India’s northern plains to extreme precipitation events.
7. Heatwaves
8. Northern India Heatwave (2022): Record-breaking temperatures across multiple states led to numerous deaths, crop failures, and increased energy demand for cooling.
9. Maharashtra and Odisha Heatwaves (2021): Prolonged high temperatures resulted in heat-related illnesses and deaths, particularly affecting vulnerable populations.
10. Droughts
11. Chennai Water Crisis (2019): Severe water shortages due to delayed monsoons and depleted reservoirs, affecting millions of residents.
12. Maharashtra Drought (2018-2019): Extended dry spell led to crop failures and water scarcity, impacting agricultural livelihoods.

Traditional methods of disaster risk management in India, such as relief-centric approaches and basic crop insurance, are proving inadequate in the face of increasing climate variability. Innovative approaches are urgently needed to enhance resilience and mitigation.

Innovative Measures for Adaptation and Mitigation in India –

1. Parametric Insurance Products
2. Definition: Parametric insurance provides payouts based on predefined triggers such as rainfall, wind speed, or temperature, rather than actual losses.
3. Benefits for India: Faster payouts, reduced administrative costs, and enhanced coverage for events where damage assessment is challenging in remote areas.
4. Implementation in India: The Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) introduced by the Indian government uses parametric triggers to provide quicker payouts to farmers affected by adverse weather conditions.
5. Community-Based Adaptation
6. Local Initiatives: Empowering Indian communities to develop and implement local adaptation strategies, such as flood defenses, drought-resistant crops, and early warning systems.
7. Example: The Odisha Disaster Recovery Project has worked with coastal communities to build cyclone shelters, improve early warning systems, and create community-based disaster management plans.
8. Green Infrastructure
9. Nature-Based Solutions: Utilizing ecosystems to mitigate the impacts of climate change, such as restoring mangroves along coastlines to reduce storm surge impacts.
10. Example: The Gujarat Green Corridor Project aims to create a green belt along the coast, including mangrove restoration, to protect against cyclones and sea-level rise.
11. Technological Innovations
12. Renewable Energy: Accelerating India’s transition to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
13. Example: The Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan, one of the world’s largest solar parks, demonstrates India’s commitment to large-scale renewable energy adoption.
14. Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Developing and deploying crops that are more resistant to extreme weather conditions and improving irrigation and water management techniques.
15. Example: The Indian Agricultural Research Institute’s development of drought-tolerant and heat-resistant crop varieties, such as the PUSA-44 rice variety, which requires less water and matures faster.
16. Urban Resilience Planning
17. Sponge Cities: Implementing water-sensitive urban design to better manage floods and water scarcity in Indian cities.
18. Example: The Bhubaneswar Town Centre District project incorporates permeable pavements, rainwater harvesting, and green spaces to enhance the city’s resilience to both floods and droughts.
19. Integrated Water Resource Management
20. River Basin Approach: Managing water resources at the river basin level to address both floods and droughts.
21. Example: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) incorporates flood management and ecological restoration along with pollution control, demonstrating an integrated approach to river basin management.

The escalating frequency and intensity of natural disasters due to climate change demand a paradigm shift in India’s approach to environmental and disaster management. Urgent action and unprecedented cooperation at all levels of Indian society are imperative to address this national challenge effectively and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.