Nature’s fury worries environmentalist; changing trends elaborated by experts

Imphal, April 27: The 2 day Regional Workshop for North Eastern Region (NER) of India on Climate Adaptation Programme and Sustainable Ecosystem was organized even as an unprecedented weather castings of intermittent heavy rain and hailstorm that made commendable lost of property in many areas of the state which rendered a slight nervousness to the people. For the scientists and those concerned about the matter were convinced in an affirmed signal.
A relief of the harsh weather marked the morning of the first day of the session. A significant pre-session discussion was made by the following delegates Dr. Shirish Sinha, Deputy Director of Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Embassy of Switzerland Prof. N. Rajmuhon Singh of Manipur University Prof. Asha Gupta of Manipur University Dr. Mustafa Ali Khan, Team Leader, IHCAP PMU, SDC Dr. Chetna Joshi, Member, Switzerland Development Corporation Rabindra Panigrahy, Scientist C, Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.
In the short pre-session discussion, Dr Sinha elaborated the progresses in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Three technical training programmes were conducted in the state for the target groups viz. i) State government officers; ii) District level officers and iii) Trainers.
Two orientation programmes were designed for i) Senior Bureaucrats ii) Legislatures. The first one had been organized whereas the second one is yet to be organized. Altogether seven training modules were designed of which first six modules are compacted in a single training programme. He asserted for some limitations like role of women, lack of adequate data, lack of localized informations etc. He stated that the sectoral aspects which are based to Himachal Pradesh may be referred for other states. Further he suggested for modules in Himachal Pradesh to be suitably changed and designed for other states. He explained how resource persons are out-sourced for the preparations of the Himachal Pradesh model.
Prof. Asha Gupta of Manipur University urged for research components as very essential primary data for the modeling process. She put up that information and data are scattered and need for systematic compilation or aggregation. She also suggested and reiterated women participation in the various processes to follow. She reminded the crux of the matter as not normal processes but of rather lengthier and tougher tasks. Dr. Mustafa Ali Khan narrated case study in the same state of Himachal Pradesh; training of 127 officials, strengthening of R&D, field visits, designing of watershed programmes, trained hand exercises, local level information collection etc. He also mentioned about forthcoming softwares for climate change modeling as good tools like CEDRIG.
Complementing Dr. Mustafa’s statements Dr Shirish expressed the expectations of long relevance of the trainings, capacity building and using of local resources for project preparations rather than consulting external agencies, proper utilization of local resources etc. He also mentioned about the boundaries of extent of the capacity building process to be actually needed when asked about the ramification of the capacity building trainings to grass root level. He expected training of the trainers will elaborate the job in the grass root level.
Dr. Chetna Joshi highlighted the twelve Himalayan states of which seven states; J & K and HP in th western Himalayas, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura in the East have already initiated the rogrammes. Prof. N. Rajmuhon Singh re-emphasised the exigent role of training of trainers for a successful implementation of the programmes.The inaugural function of the workshop was attended by new Environment, Forest, Revenue and Law & Legislative Affairs minister I Hemochandra Singh, President of the function, Shambhu Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest & Environment), Guests of Honour, Dr. Nisha Mendiratta, Director CCP, Department of Science and Technology, Dr. Shirish Sinha, Deputy Director of Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Embassy of Switzerland and Dr. M. Homeshwor Singh, Director of Environment.