Planners and officials in the agriculture, health, water resources, and power sectors may soon have access to a powerful tool that will make it easier to assess the impact of climate change and chalk out mitigation strategies.
The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is developing a range of climate information services for other ministries to be used as a tool for better planning.
Secretary of Ministry of Earth Sciences Shailesh Nayak told The Hindu that discussions had been initiated with the four ministries concerned to assess their needs for climate information. “The first meeting is over. We know roughly what they need. Based on this, we have identified five or six products that we hope to be ready within four months time. Then, we propose to convene a workshop with the people concerned, collect their feedback and improve on the products before releasing it on a pilot scale in some regions. If found suitable, we will start to produce for the country as a whole,” he said.
Rationale
Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, Dr. Nayak, who was here to deliver a keynote address at the 34th meeting of the Institute of Indian Geographers, said, “Unlike weather advisory services, the time scale for climate services is longer, stretching up to the next season or next year,’’ he said.
“If a region is likely to have more scarcity of water after maybe 10 years, we would like to give that kind of information so that there could be planning for better conservation of water. Likewise, if there is more rainfall, it could mean floods and diseases, something the Health Ministry could be prepared for,” he said.
“Simultaneously, we are scaling up our computing resources for better climate modelling and building regional models for climate projections. Efforts are on to improve observation systems also,” he said.
Drugs from the sea
Dr. Nayak said the third phase of clinical trials on an anti-diabetic drug based on compounds isolated from marine organisms would be held soon. The trials would be conducted by the Central Drug Research Institute, which is partnering MoES in a programme named `Drugs from the Sea.’
“A lot of work has been done on bioactive compounds. We are now focussing on the production of synthetic molecules. The proposals we have received will be considered for funding,” he said.
Mr. Nayak said the Ministry had initiated steps for the reconstruction of the Maîtri permanent research station in Antarctica. “The survey is over and the site has been identified. Moves are on to appoint a consultant for the design. The problem in working in Antarctica is that you get only about 60 days in December, January, and February to do all the work. Last year, we completed the survey. The selected consultant will have to visit the site next November. After that we will finalise the design,” Dr. Nayak said. The station would utilise green technology to the extent possible.
Source:The Hindu December 19, 2012