The New Nation - Internet Edition

Amit Dwivedi

During the last one decade, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has been witness to many climatic changes. Eastern Uttar Pradesh has faced severe floods, while Bundelkhand region has faced one of the worst famines of the last decade. Thus, the impact of climate change has adversely affected agricultural production resulting in huge loss of paddy and corn crops in eastern districts and regional crops in Bundelkhand. Climate-related disasters have brought widespread misery and huge economic losses to Uttar Pradesh, adversely affecting public health, food security, agriculture, water resources and biodiversity in the state.

Floods are the most common annual occurrences in Uttar Pradesh, affecting one or the other part of the state; the most affected being the districts of the eastern U.P.and terai region.

Agriculture in India is very much weather-dependent. It is ironic, then, that a significant percentage of greenhouse-gas emission-come from agriculture. Fossil-fuel intensive agriculture is contributing to the creation of the unpredictable weather conditions which all farmers will need to battle in the not so distant future.

Scientists believe that the fluctuating weather conditions in a state suggest that the state is reeling under climatic chaos. For more than a decade now, the state has been experiencing contrasting extreme weather conditions. Agriculture has been worst affected in Uttar Pradesh by these climatic changes. . A little decrease in temperatures can reduce the production of wheat crops, but help in the growth of paddy. Such changes may often tilt the farmers towards growing one crop at the expense of the other. This would lead to imbalances in crop production.

According to the 2001 census, 62.12 percent of the state's total workers are engaged in agriculture. UP contributes on an average 21 percent to the national production of foodgrain. With an average annual food grain production of about 42.7 million tons and per capita production of 234 kg, U.P. ranks third highest among major states, and is considered to be a food grain surplus state. Yet the plight of farmers is far from satisfactory.

"Government and development organizations have tried to deal with the situation, but their initiatives have been more relief oriented than solution oriented. Local people have devised their own ways and means to deal with the situation. Their methods are inherently scientific and require no external help or support. These region specific techniques have shaped people's lifestyles in these regions and strengthened their adaptive capacities," said Prof. (Dr) Shiraj A Wajih, President, Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group.

According to a 'Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group, GEAG (www.geagindia.org)' survey "U.P.'s agriculture is characterized by very small size of land holdings; around 90 percent of the farmers in the state are small and marginal farmers. Some 73.8 percent of the total operational holdings in the state are marginal (below 1.0 ha) and another 15.5 percent holdings are small (between 1 and 2 ha). Due to the preponderance of the small holdings cropping pattern, U.P. agriculture is still largely subsistence oriented."

He further said that, "We need to strengthen our capacities and capabilities to deal with climatic changes, civil society should be more responsible and sensitive towards nature.

Government should make interdepartmental approach and farmer friendly policies. It should not jeopardize agricultural growth in favour of corporate interests. Being one of the most populous geographically diverse state of India , U.P. is more prone to climatic changes."

In the Bundelkhand area, with its high levels of poverty, many small and marginal farmers are indebted both to moneylenders and government banks. As the weather gets hotter, the chances of paying back loans become difficult, leading to stress and in some extreme cases, suicides. The growing water scarcity poses further problems of survival to people and animals alike. Already there have been reports of cattle deaths due to water scarcity in the district. In recent years, the water level has gone down significantly.

The ill effects of climate change can also be seen on women farmers, especially poor women farmers because of their low social and economic status. They also have lesser accessibility to livelihood resources and land holdings.

There is a serious danger of climatic changes (in the form of severe droughts, floods, intense rainfall, and storms) undermining development programmes and millennium development goals aimed at reducing poverty.

Currently India is spending 2.5% of its total GDP on measures to control the adverse impact of climatic change, which is a big amount for any developing nation. sThe zeal of rapid industrialization, deforestation and wilful consumption of natural resources is likely to make the situation worse. Policy makers at the state, regional and national level should take a serious view of the economic, agricultural, health-related and environmental impacts of climate changes.

(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS). Email: amit@citizen-news.org, website: www.Citizen-News.org )

Kamrul Ahsan Khan

On the occasion of tenth anniversary of its foundation, Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) held an all-day-long event at the University of Western Sydney (Parramatta Campus) on 1st November 2008 in Sydney. It was participated by Australians and Non- Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) in Australia.

There were three sessions of the event, an inaugural session, a seminar and a public forum. All participants contributed to the theme of the seminar, namely Bangladesh Environment, through their suggestions and recommendations.

Mr. Kamrul Ahsan Khan, Coordinator, BEN Australian Chapter, welcomed the guests and underscored the need for cooperation between Australia and Bangladesh on the global issue of global warming and environment protection.

The first session had a few guest speakers, that included Federal MP for Parramatta Hon. Julie Owens (Sydney); Acting High Commissioner Mahbub Hassan Saleh; Member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales state, John Kaye of Australia Greens; and Mr. Adam Wolfenden, of Aid Watch/Friends of Earth. Senior Lecturer Dr Mamta Choudhury was MC for the inaugural session.

A Bangladeshi young girl Serah Choudhury read out the written appeals on the importance of protecting environment on behalf of the younger generation.

A vote of thanks was given by Dr. Swapan Paul, the Convenor of BEN, Sydney Branch to the guest speakers for their participation and their speeches.

At the session, a website of BEN was inaugurated by Barrister Harun ur Rashid (who was in Sydney from Bangladesh). The website provides up-to-date information of the activities of BEN in containing the adverse effects of global warming on Bangladesh. The address of the website is: http://priyoaustralia.com.au/ben, Speakers stressed the need of Australia to lead the world in combating the effects of global warming by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and extend cooperation to the needs of Bangladesh in containing the impact of global warming on the country.

At the seminar session there were keynote speakers that include Barrister Harun ur Rashid, former High Commissioner for Bangladesh to Australia; Dr. Debashish Mazumdar and Mizanur Rahman Mazumdar on three separate topics, namely the Environment of Bangladesh: Socio-economic Perspectives and a Way Forward, Environment of Bangladesh: Water Pollution, Water Crisis and Remedies and Environment of Bangladesh: Institutional Support, Problems and Prospects in respective order.

After presentation of the keynote papers, two academics Prof Dr Shams Rahman, Prof Dr Vincent Gomes, and environment specialist Dr Swapan Paul made constructive comments on these papers as discussants.

The public forum (third session) included the presentation by Dr. Nilufar Jahan, of BEN, Australia on the current and proposed activities of BEN in promoting awareness among Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRB) in Australia and providing support to Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) on its current environ-friendly programmes. many participants took part in the discussion, including Mr Ronesh Maitra (visiting Sydney), Mr Afsar Ahmed of BDRC , Academic Mrs Zakia Mr Anisur Rahman (editor bangla-sydney.com), Dr Narayan Das, Dr Masud, writer Monaem Sarker, principal Shamsun Nahar, Probir Maitra and many others academics, environmentalist & community leaders.

In this session certificates and prizes were given to the winners of essay-writing competition on the occasion.

The event was the second one in providing a link between NRB and Australian government and society to keep abreast degradations of Bangladesh environment and the ways to confront the adverse impacts in Bangladesh through joint collaboration, cooperation and assistance. A third event of BEN will be held in early April in Melbourne.

Suggestions were made to reduce pollution and preserve the natural flow of river Buriganga, and means and strategies to keep clear air and healthy soil in Bangladesh. Education on and awareness of environment were identified as key elements to all people in Bangladesh, especially in the countryside. All school -students from primary to higher secondary must be imparted education on environment and how to meet challenges with its degradations in the country.

The questions and answers at the seminar were animated and lively. The seminar demonstrated that NRBs in Australia are not sitting idle to combat the degradations of environment in Bangladesh. BEN is making all efforts to make awareness of this massive problem among NRBs in Australia but also providing funds in projects in Bangladesh of BAPA.

The holding of the BEN seminars is commendable and the organisers must be congratulated on their current activities in Australia.