Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the State Government will work seriously on the State action plan for climate change. He expressed concern regarding aspects of climate change like increased rainfall intensity, drought spells, dried springs, increased water stress in the mountain districts and the increased number of incidences of landslides and flash floods in the State. He said that recurrent disasters affect the economic stability of the State. The Chief Minister was speaking at a workshop organised by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with State Department of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, and State Climate Change Center (SCCC) on “Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change Related Disaster Risks”. Expressing his views on the occasion, Rawat said that with the growing demand for development, there is also an increase in the number of conflicts with natural resources. India is a land where people worship resources and seasons as Mother Nature, where increased conflicts between humans and nature are an issue of deep concern. He also emphasised on the important role of community participation in dealing with climate change, water stress and rejuvenation of Rispana river in Dehradun. He said that he looked forward to greater cooperation and technical support from UNDP in the State for all the sectors. The Chief Minister also referred to the eight-point programme envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for tackling climate change. The UNDP country director, Jaco Cilliers said that it is important to be crisis driven, preparing for that and not only be responsive. He emphasised on commitment at the political level, allocation of resources and learning from the best practices. He assured that UNDP is committed to support the Government of Uttarakhand in all spheres of development.
Principal chief conservator of forests Jairaj in his special address put forward a five-point agenda. He stressed on imbibing climate actions in the planning process of the State, approval of one per cent of the department budget allocation for the climate change actions, notification of the climate change cells in each department; green technology interventions in infrastructure and road projects, and building awareness among people from highest level up to the communities on climate change aspects.
Expressing his views, the chief secretary S Ramaswamay said the State is deeply interested in climate issues which often reflect in the form of disaster in this State. The State is trying to integrate climate actions into the planning process of the State, he said while also thanking UNDP and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for the support to the State. Earlier, the Disaster Management Secretary, Amit Singh Negi highlighted the need for integration of disaster risk reduction with climate change and informed about the progress made by State disaster management department. He suggested that considering the growing magnitude of disasters, a paradigm shift is required in the traditional ways of disaster recovery adding that the State is willing to take steps to minimise the impact of disaster in the State. later, during the technical sessions, subject experts addressed the gathering on various pertinent issues.