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Climate change to increase sea level in Lakshadweep Islands

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Climate change to increase sea level in Lakshadweep Islands

  • A team of scientists jointly from IIT Kharagpur, with support from the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India under the Climate Change Programme (CCP), studied the Climate projections of sea-level rise and associated coastal inundation in atoll islands, a ring-shaped coral reef or island.

Findings:

  • Sea levels will rise around the Lakshadweep Islands in the range between 0.4 mm/year to 0.9 mm/year, says a study conducted projecting different greenhouse gas scenarios.
  • One of the major threats in the coming years is rising sea level and its significant impact on small islands and this is for the first time, that climate model projections were used to assess the potential areas of inundation over the archipelago of Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.
  • Smaller islands Chetlat and Amini are expected to have a major land loss.
  • About 60%-70% of the existing shoreline would experience land loss in Amini and 70%-80% in Chetlat.
  • Larger islands Minicoy and the capital Kavaratti are also vulnerable to sea-level rise and expected to experience land loss along 60% of the existing shoreline.
  • The only airport in the archipelago is located at the southern tip of Agatti Island and has a risk of damage due to sea-level rise.

Climate Change Programme:

  • The Government of India launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) on 30th June 2008 outlining eight National Missions on climate change.
  1. National Solar Mission
  2. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
  3. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
  1. National Water Mission
  2. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system
  3. National Mission for a Green India
  4. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
  5. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
  • Two out of these eight national missions on climate change are under the Ministry of Science & Technology
  • National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)
  • National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCc).

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