SHILLONG: The Governor of Meghalaya, Banwarilal Purohit has expressed concern on the deteriorating quality of environment in the State as he observed that population pressure, conversion of forest land into agricultural fields, deforestation, urbanisation, mining and industrialisation are turning out to be problematic for the State.
The governor was delivering a speech during the valedictory function of the media workshop on climate change reporting in the Himalayas at State Convention Center on Friday.
Observing that the impact of climate change is going to be felt immediately and more acutely in the hilly areas than in the plains, he said, “As it is, people of the hills have to struggle a lot, to adapt to the fast changing climatic conditions.”
Purohit said, “Meghalaya is predominantly a hilly state, with more than 70% people still dependent upon agriculture and allied sectors.”
He said that Climate-dependent sectors like agriculture, animal husbandry and water resources are going to be impacted due to climate change which will put more pressure on the people.
According to him, the economy of the State will be affected if the impact of climate change is not minimised.
However, Purohit stated that most preservation has been taken up by the rural communities, and not necessarily by the stare and cited the example of the preservation of sacred groves as a living example of such community consciousness.
“It therefore, makes better sense to undertake and entrust some of the climate change adaptation programmes through the communities,” he added.
Highlighting on the role of the media in reporting climate change issues, he said, “Media plays a vital role in creating awareness and they should be prepared adequately with all the required technical knowledge.”
He added that the people of the State are very literate and sufficiently conscious of the sensitive issues of the environment.
Meanwhile, Subhash Ashutosh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, government of Meghalaya apprised the gathering that 80 per cent of the people are dependent in natural resources.
He said that natural resources in the hilly region are more vulnerable to climate changes and pointed out that 70 per cent of forest cover is in Meghalaya.
Pointing to a major project in the rejuvenation of springs, he added that there are 60,000 water springs in the state.
“We did a study which indicated that water springs are either reduced by 50 per cent and many of the springs are dried up. Water springs are very critical for the livelihood of the people,” he said.
Referring to the efforts of the government to address the issue of climate change, Ashutosh said, “The government has constituted an apex body called the State Council on Climate Change and Sustainable Development’ which is headed by the Chief Minister of the state.”
He added that the state government has a steering committee to execute climate change action headed by Chief Secretary of the state and identified nodal officers in climate sensitive departments.
“The state government is aware of the threat posed by climate change to the natural ecosystem which will have an impact on the livelihood of the people,” he added.
However, he concluded his speech saying that Meghalaya has to go a long way in climate change.
