By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Natural disasters in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh following glacial lake outbursts in recent years requires detailed study to determine options to minimise the potential of such events in the face of climate change, Mr. Subijoy Dutta, a US-based expert in the field, has said.
Steps need to be taken aiming at disaster reduction and building climate resilience with involvement of the local people and supporting organisations who could respond to a crisis and help the affected people, Mr. Dutta said while addressing a two-day International Environmental Training Workshop on ‘Water, Waste Management and Climate’ which began at the SOA Deemed to be University here on Monday.
Mr. Dutta, a mechanical engineer who runs the S & M Engineering in Maryland, USA and is the founder of the Rivers of the World (ROW) Foundation, said that he had led a team of researchers to the Khatling Glacier at more than 17,000 feet, the source of the Bhilangana river which is a tributary of the Bhagirathi, to monitor its seasonal flow, said that the river had a very high flow despite the fact that no rainfall had occurred in that region for the past 30 days.
“This was possibly due to the melting of the glacier caused by the impact of climate change and emission of greenhouse gases due to increased human activity leading to global warming,” he said.
It is evident from available data that greenhouse gases are trapping the heat in the lower parts of the atmosphere causing the temperature to rise, Mr. Dutta said adding the resultant climatic events were causing huge loss of lives, damage to property and businesses supporting agricultural and industrial infrastructure.
The two-day workshop was also addressed by SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Anup Kumar Samantaray, Prof. Sharat Kumar Palita, former Vice-Chancellor of Central University, Koraput, Prof. Anil Kar of Vir Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla and Dr. Sarat Kumar Sahu, Director of Centre for Environment and Climate of SOA. Prof. William E. Roper, President of ROW Foundation, also addressed the workshop virtually from Washington.
Stressing on two specific outcomes, Mr. Dutta said steps needed to be taken to prevent loss of lives and damage to properties due to unprecedented weather events and build climate resiliency. Besides, measures should be undertaken to attempt the reversal of global warming trend which has to be a long-term effort by pursuing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The workshop was organised by ROW in collaboration with SOA Deemed to be University.
