Youth and climate change network lunched in Orissa
A network of youth and climate change was launched to engage on climate change adoption and mitigation in Orissa. The depleting natural resources and degrading environment poses a threat to the human survival and existence of mankind.
ORISSA IS experiencing the most extreme climatic weather condition since a decade ranging from heat wave to cyclone and from drought to flood. The state has been declared disaster affected 95 times within the last 105 years. The state government has demanded the central government to include heat wave in the calamity relief funds considering the acute situation in Orissa.
A Total of 2,787 people died due to sunstroke from 1998 to 2009. Starting from the northern coasts of Orissa to the southern coasts, many villages have been victims of the wrath of the ocean. The villages most affected by climate change are the coastal villages in the district of Kendrapara. The cluster of seven villages called Satabhaya is a burning example.
The 1930 land records show an area of 320 sq km for the Satabhaya cluster near the port town of Paradip in Orissa. The 2000 land records indicate that this area has been reduced to 155 sq km with five of the seven villages being swallowed up by the sea. The first to vanish into the sea in the early 1980s were Govindpur, Mahnipur and Kuanriora villages. Two more villages - Kharikula and Sarpada were submerged in the mid-1990s. Even, a fishermen village on the coasts at Gopalpur in Ganjam district is completely submerged in the sea due to rise of sea level.
Frequent disasters in Orissa have already killed 22,228 people from 1963 to 1999, while 21,000 people have been left homeless. Disasters have left many children alone as orphan, disabled, and missing. This will increase the vulnerability of children. Natural calamities have seriously affected the agriculture condition as well. In western Orissa, food production has drastically reduced. Fifty two per cent of the state land suffers erosion due to deforestation. 4,90,000 hectare of fertile land is waterlogged. Any change in rainfall pattern poses a serious threat to the agriculture production. Two degree rise in temperature was estimated to reduce production of pearl-millet by between 10 to 15 per cent. The state food production has already reduced to 40 per cent within the last 50 years.
Global warming will hamper production of paddy drastically, which is the prime food in South Asia. This will create a terrible problem in fighting child hunger and malnutrition. Migration and displacement will be rampant, which has already started due to natural disaster. Many children, who are pushed out from school, are working in worst conditions. In Western Orissa the situation is worsening.
A study says that one-meter increase in sea level will hamper an area of 170,000 hector of prime agriculture land and displace 0.7 million people in Orissa. Heat touches 51 degree Celsius in Western part of Orissa (Titilagarh in Bolangir Dist).
The average temperature in the state is 40 degrees, which affects children health very much. Number of water borne and vector borne diseases are reported now. Malaria is coming back due to rise in temperature. Small pox, chicken pox and chicken gunia are coming back rampantly. Now, 40 to 50 per cent of malaria deaths in Orissa include children. In 20 degree Centigrade mosquotes breed in 26 days and in 25 degree they are able to breed in 13 days. One can imagine the breeding rate in 40 degree.
The outbreak of cholera in Raygada, kalahandi, and koraput in 2009 and 2010 killed 150 people (official figure) including many children due to the contaminated drinking water and in Orissa it is a regular occurrence. The workshop on Youth and Climate Change was organized on 11th of this month in Bhubaneswar to discuss the issue and lunch the network. Prominent among the guests, who spoke, were Mr.Bhagirathi Behera Director of Forest and Environment government of Orissa, Mr Nabin nayak Deputy Director, Neheru Yuba Sangathan, Mr S.hasanka Sekhar Panda, Information department and Sudarshan Chhotoray, Convenor of Focuss Orissa. The network will generate a vibrant, inspired and motivated youth mass who will engage in climate change action and advocacy in the state, said, Umesh Purohit from the Indian Youth and climate change Orissa chapter. The network will create knowledge center on climate change and disseminate information on climate change. Students and rural youth are the main targets who will be mobilized for the issue. At present IYCN has 19 state chapters including Orissa.
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