Scientists to help build resilience to climate change

Coastal States and islands in India to benefit

In a move aimed at helping the coastal States and islands in India to build resilience to climate change, scientists from 13 research institutes are assessing the vulnerabilities of the strategically important Lakshadweep islands and developing technologies for mitigation and adaptation.

Named Vulnerability Assessment and Development of Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change Impact with special reference to the coastal and island ecosystem of India (VACCIN), the multidisciplinary project involves scientists from nine CSIR institutes, besides IIT, Kharagpur, University of Kolkata, Fishery Survey of India and Space Applications Centre.

Rs.12.5-crore project

The Rs.12.5-crore project seeks to assess the impact of climate change on the Indian monsoon and marine life and the carbon sequestration potential of mangroves. It will try to identify local climate change indicators and establish the link between climate change and vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya and water-borne diseases such as leptospirosis.

During the project, the scientists will record the evidence of climate change using paleo-climatic records from corals and sediments.

The team is preparing to deploy a continuous plankton recorder for better understanding of the ocean ecology and climate change and assessment of fisheries resources in the Indian Ocean.

“VACCIN is an attempt to improve observations, modelling and forecasting to predict climate change on a regional scale and help communities build resilience to extreme weather events,” J.Sundaresan, Nodal Officer for the project.

The VACCIN task force committee has identified three technologies to mitigate the impact of climate change and build community resilience in Lakshdweep. solar still unit to provide potable water to islanders, a clean bioprocess for coir fibre production, household biowaste treatment system and household sanitation device.

At a review meeting held here on Wednesday, NIIST Director A. Ajayaghosh released the interim report of VACCIN.