NAME:

ROLL:

Aakash majumder.

COMA 121.

REGISTRATION NO.:

TOPIC:

313-1122-1469-14

GLOBAL WARMING AND ITS IMPACT

ON WEST BENGALS CLIMATE CHANGE.(6)

SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

D.O.S:

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CONTENT
1.Acknowledgement.
2.Global Warming and its impact on climate of
West Bengal.

3.Effect of global warming on the Earths climate.

4.Impact of Global Warming.
5.Introduction to the profile of West Bengal.
6.Recent climatic disasters in West Bengal.
7.Other climatic disasters in West Bengal.
8.Climatic effects on the sea and coastal areas.
9.Regional policy action platform on climate
change.

10.Steps taken by government to mitigate

disasters.

11.Roles of Government bodies in decreasing

disasters.

12.Conclusion.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I,AAKASH MAJUMDER,owe a great thanks to a great many
people who helped and supported me during the writing of this
project.My deepest thanks to our Environmental
Science(ENVS)Prof.Gourab Deep Rai,the guide of the project for
guiding and correcting various documents of mine with
attention and care.
He has taken pain to go through the project and make
necessary correction as and when needed.I express my thanks
to the principal for extending her support.My deep sense of
gratitude to my friends for their support and guidance.I would
also thank my Institution and my faculty members without
whom this project would have been a distant reality.I also
extend my heartfelt thanks to my family and well wishers for
their encouragement and cooperation.

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GLOBAL WARMING AND ITS IMPACTS ON CLIMATE

OF WEST BENGAL
Global warming is for real. Every scientist knows that now, and
we are on our way to the destruction of every species on earth,
if we don't pay attention and reverse our course.
Global warming is the talk of the town in this century, with its
detrimental effects already being brought to limelight by the
recurring events of massive floods, annihilating droughts and
ravaging cyclones throughout the globe. The average global
temperatures are higher than they have ever been during the
past millennium, and the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have
crossed all previous records. A scrutiny of the past records of
100 years indicates that India figures in the first 10 in the world
in terms of fatalities and economic losses in a variety of
climatic disasters.
Before embarking on a detailed analysis of Global warming and
its impacts on west bengals climate, we should first know what
climate, green house effect and global warming actually mean.
CLIMATE
The climate is defined as the general or average weather
conditions of a certain region, including temperature, rainfall,
and wind. The earths climate is most affected by latitude, the
tilt of the Earth's axis, the movements of the Earth's wind belts,
and the difference in temperatures of land and sea, and
topography. Human activity, especially relating to actions
relating to the depletion of the ozone layer, is also an important
factor.
The climate system is a complex, interactive system consisting
of the atmosphere, land surface, snow and ice, oceans and
other bodies of water, and living things.
GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

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Green House effect is the phenomenon whereby the earth's

atmosphere traps solar radiation, and is mediated by the
presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon dioxide,
water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass
through, but absorb the heat radiated back from the earth's
surface.
Thus the Green house gases (GHGs) provide a blanketing effect
in the lower strata of the earths atmosphere, and this
blanketing effect is being enhanced because of the human
activities like burning of fossil fuels etc.
GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming is defined as an increase in the average
temperature of the Earth's atmosphere, especially a sustained
increase great enough to cause changes in the global climate.
The term global warming is synonymous with Enhanced green
house effect, implying an increase in the amount of green
house gases in the earths atmosphere, leading to entrapment
of more and more solar radiations, and thus increasing the
overall temperature of the earth.

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EFFECT OF GLOBAL WARMING ON THE EARTHS

CLIMATE
Detailed researches of climatic events of the past 150 years
have revealed that the temperatures have risen all over the
globe, with the warming occurring in two phases. The first
phase was from 1919 to 1940, with an average temperature
gain of 0.35C, and the second phase was from 1970 to the
present, exhibiting temperature gains of 0.55C. Records show
that the past 25 years have been the warmest time of the past
5 centuries. The global warming has resulted in the warming of
the oceans, rising of the sea levels, melting of glaciers, and
diminished snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere.

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The above map illustrates an analysis conducted by the

Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City,
based on temperatures recorded at meteorological stations
around the world and satellite data over the oceans. The map
illustrates how much warmer temperatures were in the decade
(2000-2009) compared to average temperatures recorded
between 1951 and 1980. The Arctic regions exhibited the most
severe warming as depicted in red color. The blue colored areas
show the lower than normal temperatures, and thus are very
few.
The recent catastrophic climatic events like the massive floods
in Pakistan and India, the Hurricane Katrina in the United
States, the prolonged droughts in Australia, China, Pakistan,
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India and Texas, are all the results of increased temperatures

due to global warming. During the 21st century, climatic
disasters occurred five times as frequently and killed or
affected seventy times as many people. Between 2000 and
2004, an average of 26 climatic disasters was reported each
year. Thus, the immense geological changes will continue their
destruction unabated if steps to mitigate global warming are
not taken.

IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming is already underway with consequences that
must be faced today as well as tomorrow. Evidence of changes
to the Earth's physical, chemical and biological processes is
now evident on every continent.
To fully appreciate the urgency of climate change, it's important
to understand the ways it affects society and the natural
environment. Sea levels are rising and glaciers are shrinking;
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record high temperatures and severe rainstorms and droughts

are becoming increasingly common. Changes in temperatures
and rainfall patterns alter plant and animal behavior and have
significant implications for humans. In this section, explore the
connections between the climate data and the changes
happening around youand those you can expect to see in the
futurein all parts of the globe, including your own backyard.
Not only are global warming-induced changes currently
underway, but scientists also expect additional effects on
human society and natural environments around the world.
Some further warming is already unavoidable due to past heattrapping emissions; unless we aggressively reduce today's
emissions, scientists project extra warming and thus additional
impacts.
With the increasing trends of global warming, predictions of
severer climatic events have been made for west bengal. The
anticipated increase in precipitation, the melting of glaciers and
expanding seas are projected to influence the West Bengal
climate particularly severely, with an increase in incidence of
floods, hurricanes, and storms.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROFILE OF WEST

BENGAL
West Bengal is an Indian state, located in East India on the Bay of

Bengal. It is India's fourth-most populous state, with over 91

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million inhabitants. It has a total area of 34,267 sq mi

(88,750 km2), making it similar in size to Serbia. A part of the
ethno-linguistic Bengal region, it borders Bangladesh in the
east and Nepal and Bhutan in the north. It also has borders with
five Indian states,
including Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam.
The state capital is Kolkata (Calcutta), the third-largest city in
India. The geography of West Bengal includes the Darjeeling
Himalayan hill region in its extreme north, the Ganges delta,
the Rarh region and the coastal Sundarbans.
West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching
from the Himalayas in the north, to the Bay of Bengal in the
south. The state has a total area of 88,752 square kilometres
(34,267 sq mi).[1] The Darjeeling Himalayan hill region in the
northern extreme of the state belongs to the eastern Himalaya.
This region contains Sandakfu (3,636 m or 11,929 ft)the
highest peak of the state.[52] The narrow Terai region separates
this region from the North Bengal plains, which in turn
transitions into the Ganges delta towards the south. The Rarh
region intervenes between the Ganges delta in the east and
the western plateau and high lands. A small coastal region is on
the extreme south, while the Sundarbans mangrove forests
form a geographical landmark at the Ganges delta

RECENT CLIMATIC DISASTERS IN WEST BENGAL

The State is in the Eastern region of India. With the Tropic of
Cancer running across it, the State is situated between N
2130' & 27 30' and E 85 30' & 8945'. The geography of the
state is unique in the sense that its northern part is in the
Himalayan Range, whereas the extreme southern part touches
the Bay of Bengal and is covered by the Active Delta of the
Sundarbans Mangrove forest. The greater part consists of
detrital and alluvial plains.

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The major physiographic divisions of West Bengal can be

grouped as follows : (1) Extra peninsular mountainous terrain of
Darjeeling Himalayas (2) Piedmont plain of North Bengal
comprising Bhabar-Terai belt (3) Peninsular shield area of SouthWestern Bengal (4) Gondwana platform (5) Vast low-lying
alluvial tract of the southern and eastern part (6) Coastal tract
of Bengal basin. The northern mountainous terrain covers
Darjeeling and part of Jalpaiguri districts. The south-western
Peninsular tract is, in fact, the eastern extension of
Chhotonagpur plateau exhibiting rolling topography comprising
Purulia, Medinipur, Bankura, Birbhum and part of Bardhaman
districts. This hilly-cum-undulating topography is gradually
smoothened eastward to give place to upland of laterite and
finally to the low-lying alluvial plains which in the further south
form the shore line of the Bay of Bengal in the deltaic region.
The general slope of West Bengal is towards south, though in
the south-western part, an easterly slope is conspicuous.

The river Ganga flowing from west to east (as Padma, through
Bangladesh) and to south (as Bhagirathi) constitutes the major
drainage of the central southern part of the state. The drainage
is controlled by a number of rivers and streams, viz., Damodar11 | P a g e

Kangsabati-Ajoy-Mayurrakshi etc. in the western part. In North

Bengal, the Tista, the main drainage channel is controlled by
Jaldhaka-Torsa-Raidak-Sankosh-Gangadhar rivers, etc. which are
in turn, linked with the Brahmaputra river. Besides, Jalangi,
Churni, Jamuna, Ichhamati, Bidyadhari, Matla, Raimongal,
Gosaba etc. are some of the principal tributaries or
distributaries of Bhagirathi draining different parts of the state.
Bengal is proverbially associated with delta. The South Bengal
Delta, one of the biggest of its kind is formed by the combined
effect of two major rivers, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra
along with their tributaries. Major part of the delta is in
Bangladesh. An area of approximately 65,000 sq. km. of the
Bengal delta is situated in the state of West Bengal.
Topographically, the area is gentle to moderately flat with
certain microrelict of at places. Drainage is consequent in
nature, parallel to sub parallel in the north-western part
gradually changing to dendritic to anastomosing towards southeast and anastomosing in tidal flat region.
Structurally, Ganga-Brahmaputra delta can be divided into two
parts. An imaginary line may be drawn from Kolkata to
Maymansingh in the north-east, to understand the division. The
slope in the north-western part of this line is only 2 to 3 degree,
but, it increased to 6 to 12 degrees in the south-eastern part.
Geoloists gave the name of this line as eosine hinge zone or
Kolkata- Maymansingh Hinge Zone.

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There are 4 marked seasons : (a) cold, dry weather from

December to February; (b) hot, dry weather from March to May;
(c) monsoon period from June to September; (d) post
monsoon period in October and November. Over 70 per cent of
the rain falls between June and September.
The mean annual rainfall varies from 1026mm at Nalhati in the
Birbhum District to as high as 5323mm in Buxa in the Jalpaiguri
District. The state also has as long as 350 Km of coastal line.
The other important characteristic is that Southern West Bengal
has the confluence of Fresh water rivers and Tidal water river
system.
The total area of the state is 88,752 sq Km having a dense
population of more than 80 million people of which about 72%
live in the Rural areas covering 85427.26 sq Km, i.e., 96% of
the total geographical area and the population density is 903
per square kilometer. The population has been increased by
44.25% from 1981 to 1991 and also the density of the
population.

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It has 19 Districts covering 65 Sub-divisions, 341 Blocks, 333

Panchayat Samities, 126 Municipalities, 3354 Gram Panchayats,
40782 Mauzas, 37945 inhabited villages, 375 towns and
The rural areas hold a significantly high human resource,
agricultural land and fisheries resource.
Any disaster thus results in a huge loss of lives and property.
Different parts of West Bengal are vulnerable to the natural
calamities like Flood, Cyclonic Storms, Earthquake, Landslide,
Drought and Embankment Erosion. In fact there are multiple
High Risk Multi Hazard Zones.

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Theoretically vulnerability assessment and risk analysis are

expressed by the notation: Risk = Hazards x Vulnerability x
Asset.
In Disaster Management, risk is measured in terms of loss of
human lives, loss of capital, property like agricultural land,
roads, structures, livestock etc.
Hazard is potentially a damaging physical event, phenomenon
or human activity that may cause the loss of life or injury,
property damage, social and economic disruption or
environmental degradation. Hazards can include latent
conditions that may represent future threats and can have
different origins: natural (geological, hydrometeorological and
biological) or induced by human processes (environmental
degradation and technological hazards). Hazards can be single,
sequential or combined in their origin and effects. Each hazard
is characterized by its location, intensity, frequency and
probability.
Vulnerability is the internal weakness of a system from external
threats and in disaster perspective it is the conditions
determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental
factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a
community to the impact of hazards. It is the degree of loss
(from 0 to 100 per cent) resulting from a potentially damaging
phenomenon. It is the degree to which a person, system or unit
is likely to experience harm due to exposure to perturbations or
stresses.
Risk is the probability of harmful consequences, or expected
losses (deaths, injuries, property, livelihoods, economic activity
disrupted or environment damaged) resulting from interactions
between natural or human-induced hazards and vulnerable
conditions.
A hazard becomes a disaster only when it affects human
settlements and causes loss of life and damage to property. In
order to reduce the impact of such events through mitigation
efforts, it is necessary to understand how such hazards become
disasters. The extent of vulnerability of the area, people and
property to a hazard or the probability of its occurrence defines

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the extent of risk. Vulnerability analysis and risk assessment

therefore are essential forerunners for evolving
appropriate preventive measures and mitigation strategies.
The process of conducting a risk analysis is based on a review
of both the technical features of hazards such as their location,
intensity, frequency and probability; and also the analysis of
the physical, social, economic and environmental dimensions of
vulnerability and exposure, while taking particular account of
the coping capabilities pertinent to the risk scenarios.

FLOODS IN WEST BENGAL

Around 58,000 people have been affected by flooding in parts

of West Bengal, India, over the last 2 days. Heavy rain in
catchment areas, including in Sikkim and Bhutan, have
increased river levels in West Bengal.
West Bengal State Disaster Management Minister, Javed
Khanin, said that around 150 villages in the northern districts of
Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Koch Behar (also known as Cooch
Behar) have been flooded. Jalpaiguri district is the worst hit.
The minister said:
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The Government has issued flood alert in West Bengals

Jalpaiguri district due to heavy rains in the upper reaches of the
River Teesta.

According to Indias Central Water Commission (CWC), levels of

the Teesta river at Domohani in Jalpaiguri district currently
stand at 85.98 metres, above the danger levels of 85.95
metres. The Jaldhaka river at Jaldhaka, Jalpaiguri district is
currently at 80.25 metres and rising. Danger level is 80.9
metres.
Rivers are at or above danger levels in at least 4 other locations
in the state (see Flood Summary data below), including the
Ganges at Farakka, Murshidabad district, which stands at at
22.76 metres, above the danger level of 22.25 metres.
State Disaster Management teams have carried out
evacuations in over 100 villages and taken those affected by
the floods to, safer, higher ground. Patients at a public health
centre in Jalpaiguri district have been taken by boat to other
medical centres. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
teams have also been deployed for rescue efforts.
West Bengal State Disaster Management Authority have set up
43 shelters in the affected districts where relief material is
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being provided to those who have been temporarily displaced

from their houses due to the flooding.
THE AILA EXPERIENCE
The failure of Administration to cope up with heavy rain and
storm surges on May 25, 2009 is now well documented. More
than 3,000 trees were uprooted, electrical wiring snapped,
telephone lines became dead and water supply was badly
disrupted. The cyclonic storm hit the city at 80-90 Km/hr after
initial hit at 120 Km in the Sunderbans. Even with serious
warning of the Met Department civic administration collapsed.
Called Aila the cyclonic storm is only one of the three possible
storm surges and cyclone that could have affected the city-the
other two, Cyder went off to Bangladesh causing severe
damage to lives and livelihood, and Nargis hit Myanmar
causing death of more than 100,000 people. But Kolkata
Disaster Management Authority virtually showed no possible
adaptation strategy.

The city suffered four days of power cut due to disruption of

electric supply and consequently had terrible time in coping
with the shortage of water supply. The road transport suffered
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significantly due to blockade of roads by more than 3000

uprooted trees.
Post - Aila in May 2009, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation
(KMC) had decided to upgrade its Disaster Management Unit
with modern equipment and additional manpower.
Significantly, the drainage and sewerage up-gradation project
under KEIP (Phase I) covering Behala and Garia (south Kolkata),
Tiljala and Topsia (east Kolkata) and Cossipore (north Kolkata),
which was supposed to be completed in 2007, is yet to be over.
Apparently, mitigation measures in the city are too slow to be
appreciated. Carbon emission could be checked by clean
technology but administration reacted rather too slow to
change over; green autorickshaws have come up but old
private vehicles still ply. The city is yet to catch up renewable
energy as thermal power remains the mainstay.

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Details of extreme event during the flood years at the five districts.

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OTHER CLIMATIC DISASTERS IN WEST BENGAL

DROUGHTS
As explained above, the process of global warming has such an
impact on the climate that it increases the severity of
precipitation at one time, and minimizes it in the other.
Therefore, this process has resulted in severe drought like
conditions in India, with tens of millions of deaths resulting from
it in the past few centuries. India depends heavily on prolonged
and optimum monsoons for its agricultural productivity, failure
of which results in the decreased crop productivity, leading to
droughts.
With almost no rain in the last two months and temperature
hovering near 50 degrees Celsius in many districts of West
Bengal, the state government is taking stock of the situation
there before declaring them drought-hit.The situation in the
several districts, especially Purulia, West Midnapore, Bankura
and Burdwan, is pretty bad, Crops are damaged because of
no rainfall and water bodies have dried up resulting in massive
water crisis in these four districts.

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CYCLONES
A cyclone is a large scale air mass that rotates around a strong
center of low atmospheric pressure.A cyclone differs from a
hurricane or typhoon only on the basis of location.A hurricane is
a storm that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and
northeastern Pacific Ocean, a typhoon occurs in the
northwestern Pacific Ocean, and a cyclone occurs in the south
Pacific or Indian Ocean.
Cyclones are characterized by inward spiraling winds that
rotate about a zone of low pressure.The largest low-pressure
systems are polar vortices and extratropical cyclones of the
largest scale (the synoptic scale). Warm-core cyclones such
as tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones also lie within the
synoptic scale.Mesocyclones, tornadoes and dust devils lie
within the smaller mesoscale.Upper level cyclones can exist
without the presence of a surface low, and can pinch off from
the base of the Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough during the
summer months in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Cyclones have also been seen on extraterrestrial planets, such

as Mars and Neptune.Cyclogenesis describes the process of
cyclone formation and intensification. Extratropical
cyclones begin as waves in large regions of enhanced midlatitude temperature contrasts called baroclinic zones. These
zones contract and form weather fronts as the cyclonic
circulation closes and intensifies. Later in their life cycle,
extratropical cyclones occlude as cold air masses undercut the
warmer air and become cold core systems. A cyclone's track is
guided over the course of its 2 to 6 day life cycle by the
steering flow of the subtropical jet stream.

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The 2002 West Bengal cyclone was a deadly tropical

cyclone that affected India and Bangladesh in November 2002.
The sixth tropical cyclone and fourth cyclonic storm of the 2002
North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed in the Bay of
Bengal northeast of Sri Lanka on November 10, as a tropical
depression. After tracking northeast, the system strengthened
into a cyclonic storm on November 11, as maximum sustained
winds exceeded 65 km/h (40 mph). On November 12, it further
intensified into a severe cyclonic storm. Later that day, the
storm made landfall on Sagar Island in West Bengal with winds
of 100 km/h (65 mph). After moving inland, it rapidly weakened
and dissipated over Bangladesh on November 12.

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Rough seas offshore Odisha caused two fishing trawlers to

collide, resulting in 18 fatalities, while two additional trawlers
were reported missing. In West Bengal, the storm uprooted
trees and dropped heavy rainfall. Throughout India, 124 deaths
were confirmed. Strong winds and heavy rainfall in Bangladesh
impacted many cities and villages, including the capital city
of Dhaka, forcing thousands to evacuate. Ten wooden trawlers
carrying 150 men sank offshore Bangladesh, with only
11 reaching safety. Eight additional boats with 60 occupants
were reported missing. One death was reported in Bangladesh
after a man attempted to cross a swollen river. Overall, there
were 49 fatalities in Bangladesh. The storm was attributed to at
least 173 fatalities in India, Bangladesh, and offshore areas.
The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), under the Council
of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of
India, researched on the impacts of climate change on sea
level, to assess the degree to which mean sea level and the
occurrence of extreme events may change, and concluded that
an increased occurrence of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal,
particularly in the post-monsoon period, along with increased
maximum wind speeds associated with cyclones and a greater
number of high surges under climate change has been
observed. In addition, the strength of tropical cyclones, which
represent a threat to the eastern coast of India and to
Bangladesh, is also likely to increase.

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CLIMATIC EFFECTS ON THE SEA AND COASTAL

AREAS
As explained above, India has a long coastline with the Arabian
Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The coastal areas of India are highly
vulnerable to the effects of global warming, as they are densely
populated with people who are totally dependent on the sea for
their food supply. Therefore any damage to the natural cycle of
the sea affects the people of India very severely.
Already global warming has resulted in an increased cyclonic
activity, sea level rises displacing people, flooding, and the
reduction in the sea food due to the acidification of the waters.
Thousands of people have been displaced by ongoing sea level
rises that have submerged low-lying islands in the Sundarbans.
Coastal regions harbour some of the most diverse and
productive ecosystems as an active interface between land and
water. However they are currently reeling under immense
pressure from a medley of stressors such as rapid population
growth, urbanization and development activities that alter the
structure and function of these ecosystems. Climate change
poses as an additional threat that varies both in the severity of
temporal and spatial impacts.

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In the coastal regions of West Bengal current and projected

vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change in general and
sea level rise in particular are being assessed to work out
methods of dealing with them. This will help identifying target
areas for interventions to prepare for such changes.

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Uniquely placed in the eastern lowland area of the Bay of

Bengal, bordering Bangladesh, the state of West Bengal is
vulnerable to any potential rise in the sea levels and thrusts
from cyclonic events and storm surges. Exposure to storm
surges, monsoon and post monsoon storms are comparatively
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high and make the state vulnerable to the occurrence of such

events. Besides, dense population, rapid urbanization with high
rate of degradation of local environments is characteristic to
most of the region.
The Gangetic delta mangroves -the Sunderbans, formed at the
confluence of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, is world's most
extensive continuous mangrove forests and covers about 2000
sq Km in the Indian territory. Any impact to the coastal
ecosystem has a direct impact on coastal livelihoods.
TERI is studying the effect of climate related hazards like floods,
cyclones and storm surges on the communities residing in the
region. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is being used
for better identifying pockets vulnerable to hazards such as sea
level rise, floods, cyclones and storm surges. Additionally,
vulnerability is being assessed in terms of the level of socioeconomic development of that region.

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REGIONAL POLICY ACTION PLATFORM ON

CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change can be viewed as one of the most critical
environmental problems to confront us as it is most
immediately and inextricably linked to wellbeing, development
and economic growth. Thus the solutions to it cannot be left to
the confines of the environment but needs to seek clarity and
consolidate its response relating the agendas and interests of
the multiple constituencies.
Recognising the need for a coordinated proactive response to
climate change, WWF-India has developed the concept of
Talking Solutions, which is a process that builds a
consolidated understanding, informing a strategic response
from among the various key constituencies. As a part of this
initiative, a Regional Policy Action Platform on Climate Change
(RPAPCC) was formed in the state of West Bengal, India.
Papers in this series are:
1. Climate change adaptation in flood plain of West Bengal
2. Climate change adaptation in coastal region of West
Bengal
3. Climate change adaptation in arid region of West Bengal
Thus the process of global warming has affected India
intensely, destroying its economy and depriving its people of
their basic needs like food and shelter. The current patterns of
destructive floods, increasing intensity of cyclones, recurring
droughts and the increasing temperatures are all the results of
global warming. The Indian government also realizes the
predicament it faces, and multiple steps to mitigate these
disasters have been taken.

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STEPS TAKEN BY INDIAN GOVERNMENT TO

MITIGATE FLOODS AND OTHER CLIMATIC
DISASTERS
In India, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the
apex body for addressing the disaster related policy issues and
for laying guidelines. The Ministry of Environment and Forests,
the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of External
Affairs as well as the Prime Ministers Office are the offices
related to climatic changes.
India has always been plagued by the recurrent and
devastating floods. The history of mitigating steps taken by the
Indian government can be traced back to 1953, when the
unprecedented floods of 1953 struck India, at which time the
first national policy in this regard was made. After that, every
government employed many policies and committees to
counteract the dreaded floods and their devastations.
Most notable of them were the following:
Five regional task forces- 1996
National commission for integrated water resource
development plan- 1996
National water policy - 1987
NationalFlood Commission- 1980
Working group on flood control for five year plans
Minister's committee on flood and flood relief 1972
Ministerial committee on flood control- 1964
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Policy statement on floods- 1958

High level committee on floods- 1957

IN ADDITION THE FOLLOWING FIGURE SHOWS

THE GOVERNMENT BODIES AND THEIR ROLES IN
DECREASING FLOODS.
GOVERNEMENT BODIES FOR FLOOD MANAGEMENT
state flood control department
central water commision
Ganga flood control commision
Brahamaputra board
STRUCTURES BUILT TO PREVENT FLOODS
embankments
dams
natural detention basins channel improvements
draingae structures
flood zoning
flood proofing
water shed development
Community based disaster preparedness (CBDP)
The ministry of Home Affairs, government of India has taken an
initiative at local level known as the community based disaster
preparedness. It functions with the help of the local people as
well as the NGOs to help prepare the people for different
climatic disasters by mobilizing them easily, and helping in
providing relief to the affected community. Other tasks of this
committee include the preparation of seasonal calendars to
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predict the climatic disasters, mapping the risks faced by the

community and taking actions to prevent them.
STEPS REQUIRED BY THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT TO
MITIGATE GLOBAL WARMING AND RESULTING CLIMATIC
DISASTERS
In spite of the steps taken by the Indian government, global
warming continues to increase, and the resulting climatic
disasters ravage the country in an unabated manner. This can
be attributed to the lack of resources, and access to technology.
To cope up with the climate change-disasters-security nexus,
the country needs to have a better technical understanding,
capacity building, networking and expansive consultation
processes spanning every section of the society.
The committees and organizations working to counteract
against the climatic disasters work independently from each
other. The ongoing climatic changes, with an increase in a
possibility of more disasters impose imperatives for a unity
among all these bodies, resulting in an integrated risk
management framework, creating a common platform for the
committees to work on.
India has a distinctive vulnerability profile as the poor are the
most affected. Tremendous weather events take place more
frequently and are becoming more ruthless. Therefore the
previous attempts of just rescuing the affected will not be
enough now, instead, meticulous steps to prevent these
disasters are required. This can only be met if the strategies
and policies can cope with climate change, requiring the active
participation of the government and the people.

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CONCLUSION

The term global warming was probably first used in its modern
sense on 8 august 1975 in a science paper by wally broacher in
the journal science calledare we on the brink of a pronounced
global warming?.Broachers choice of words was new and
represented a significant recognisition threat the climate was
warming ;previously the phrasing used by scientists was
inadvertent climate modification ,because while it was
recognised humans could change the climate,no one was sure
which direction it was going.The national academy of Sciences
first used global warming in 1979 paper called the carney
report,it said:if carbon dioxide continues to increase no reason
to doubt that climate changes will result and no reason to
believe that these changes will be negligible.The report made a
distinction between referring to surface temperature changes
as global warming,while referring to other changes caused by
increased C0 as climate change.
Global warming became more widely popular after 1988 when
NASA climate scientist James Hansen used the term in a
testimony to congress.He said global warming has reached a
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level such that we can ascrib with a high degree of confidence

a cause and effect.

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