In order to implement all the steps recommended for climate change activities in Odisha, the State requires more than Rs 72,000 crore in next five years.
The Five Year Odisha Climate Change Action Plan for 2018-2023 reveals that the State needs to spend Rs 72,279 crore.
However, based on the current budgetary allocations and using best estimate of projections, the State Government will have about Rs 38,316.18 crore available for investing into the proposed 110 actions.
So, the shortfall would be about Rs 33,841.93 crore which would have to be mobilised from other sources.
However, taking the climate change issue seriously, the State Government has decided to spend over Rs 7,000 crore on an average every year for designate climate change activities for next five years.
In fact, the State Government has consistently been increasing the allocation for funding the climate change activities.
An analysis of allocations on climate change activities reveals that in 2012-13, budget for such activities was Rs 1,700 crore, which went up to Rs 2,184 crore in 2013-14, further to Rs 3,207 crore in 2014-15.
Now in 2018-19, allocation is over Rs 7,000 crore for climate change activities and this funding would continue in next five years till 2022-23, said sources in the Department of Forests and Environment and Climate Change.
While the First Action Plan was put in place in 2010, the Second Action Plan is all set for action and funding has been raised to Rs 7,000 crore per annum.
Officials reveal that climate financing is needed to be mobilised more aggressively, so that pressure is reduced on the State Budget.
Odisha Climate Change Action Plan II has linked with National Action Plan and also several missions working for climate change activities in the country, said sources.
The SAPCC-2018-23 highlights the current and future vulnerabilities of the State under different scenarios based on scientific assessment.
While rainfall pattern in Odisha has been erratic since 1960s with below rainfall across all districts being recorded for most years, the “normal 120 days” of monsoon rain has shrunk to 60-70 days, and unusual spike in rainfall, with torrential rainfall over 200-250 mm per day is more frequent during monsoon, frequently resulting in floods.
All records were broken with recent very heavy rains in Hirakud, which recorded rainfall of 622 MM on July 22 at the Master Control Room of Hirakud Dam project.
This is the highest ever rainfall recorded in any station in Odisha as ascertained from India Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar.
This cross highest rainfall 581.9 MM recorded by the IMD Rain Gauge Station at Sambalpur on August 19, 1982.
Such situation has had strong influence on agriculture, especially during Rabi season, because of the reduced residual moisture.
Similarly by 2100, the mean temperature globally is projected to increase by 1 to 5 degrees Celsius and coastal Odisha would remain relatively less warm than the rest of Odisha even though it clearly breaches the 2 degree celsius barrier.
North western, western and south western Odisha show the highest rise in temperature, which is unsustainable, feel experts.