Meghalaya government has planned to prepare an adaptation policy to reduce risks posed by the consequences of climatic changes.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma informed this after chairing an emergent meeting in the Main Secretariat here on Saturday after several districts of the State were affected by hailstorms and squall accompanied by heavy rains on Friday.
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As per information, over 50 villages were affected and thousands of households in around four districts of Meghalaya were damaged by hailstorms and squall accompanied by heavy rains on Friday.
The districts affected by hailstorms include West Khasi Hills, West Jaiñtia Hills, North Garo Hills and East Garo Hills.
The emergency meeting was also attended by Meghalaya Minister for Revenue and Disaster Kyrmen Shylla, Chief Secretary Y Tsering, Additional Chief Secretary in-charge of Disaster Management PW Ingty and other senior officials.
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Conrad told media persons that the State government was trying its best to provide immediate temporary relief to the affected families and people.
“A detailed assessment on the extent of damages to houses, crops, livestock and other properties is being carried out,” Conrad in reply to a query on the number of affected households and losses that the government would incur.
Stating that the focus of the government is to provide maximum help to the people, Conrad Sangma said that all concerned departments have been asked to attend to the needs of the people.
“We are working on a war footing to provide temporary relief to the affected people,” Chief Minister Comrad Sangma said.
Conrad Sangma also said that no relief camps were required as relief materials like tarpaulin were distributed immediately to the affected families for taking shelter in their house besides essential commodities provided through the respective district administrations.
MLAs of the respective affected areas have also done their bid to help the affected families, he said.
On low quality of roofing materials especially corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) sheets being provided to households in the state, the chief minister said that there were affected houses where the roofing sheets could be old and in dilapidated condition, and may not withstand the calamity.
Informing that the government needs to come up with measures to tackle climate change, the chief minister stressed on coming up with an adaptation policy to climatic changes.
“We need to sit down and discuss on this issue and come up with an aggressive adaptation policy,” said the CM.
Adaptation and mitigation are two policies that the government required to focus on in view of climate change. While mitigation addresses the root causes by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation seeks to bring down risks posed by the consequences of climatic changes.
The CM, last week, while addressing a seminar on ‘Natural Resources Management and Climate Change: opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs’ in Garo Hills, said that the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government would soon sign an agreement with the World Bank for funding to the tune of over Rs 100 crore to protect and preserve catchment areas in the State.
Admitting that the impact of global warming has been felt across the length and breadth of the country and the world, CM Conrad Sangma said, “Its impact is being felt across the globe and in India because of wanton destruction of forests, burning of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum leading to rise in CO2 emissions.”