Demand mounts for redrafting climate change action plan

BHUBANESWAR: “With only three hastily convened consultations with local stakeholders at Angul, Berhampur and Balasore, the State's bureaucracy is going ahead with drawing up the plan.

The OCAP which has a layout of Rs.17,000 crores for five years is critical to battle the expected adverse effects of climate change that shall affect the lives and livelihood of 40 million Oriyas,” said Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of Wildlife Society of Orissa.

He pointed out, “there is no plan to phase out dirty coal power plants which the World Bank is interested in funding and bring in renewable energy.

There is a gift of Rs. 5500 crores of public money to the power distribution companies as the amount required to reduce transmission and distribution losses.”

The WSO secretary said no noted expert had been involved in the draft formulation other than consultants deputed by the World Bank and DFID. C-TRAN, knowledge partner in the action plan, is a World Bank appointee, Mr. Mohanty charged.

There was no talk about limiting mining or checking the setting up of large mines in forest areas as the World Bank funded large coal and other mine projects, he said.

Extreme weather has hit the State. Orissa has been experiencing heat waves over the last five plus years, with the worst being in 1998 which killed around 1500 people. The frequency of cyclones has increased in the Orissa coast. In 1999, two cyclones hit the state in quick succession.

Similarly, Ranjan Panda, convenor of Water Initiative of Orissa, said the State government had neither consulted experts on climate change nor did they bother to seek views of local people who are actually facing wraths of extreme weathers. A hastily prepared plan cannot be a roadmap to fight climate change in the State, Mr. Panda said.

Source: www.hindu.com