Climate Change Is A Massive Challenge In 102 Districts Of 4 States

by Amitabh Pandey

Climate change is a major challenge for a better environment around the world. Various programs are currently on at the government and society level to avoid the ill effects of climate change. However, the programs currently being run to deal with climate change in 102 districts of 4 major states of India are not enough. There is an urgent need to implement more effective plans to deal with climate change in all these districts. These findings have emerged from a new study.

This study has revealed that one in three districts of central India is not fully prepared to cope with and adapt to climate change. The study describes the region’s ability to cope with climate change based on agro-climatic and socio-economic vulnerabilities. The study’s findings highlight gaps in and measures to be taken regarding preparedness to combat rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and drought.

The study, recently published in the International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, is titled “Assessing climate change resilience in central Indian agriculture: A regional indicator-based approach and agro-climatic zone mapping.” It studied 102 districts in four states – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and southern Uttar Pradesh – which are highly vulnerable to extreme weather and drought-like conditions.

The study, conducted by PhD research scholar Chaitanya Ashok Adhav, under the guidance of Dr. Hari Nath Singh, Department of Agricultural Economics, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Uttarakhand, found that 27.39% of districts in central India fall in the ‘less resilient to climate change’ category, highlighting significant vulnerabilities to farmers, ecosystems, and rural livelihoods.

What is climate change resilience? 

Climate change resilience refers to the measures taken to cope with conditions such as heavy rainfall, rising temperatures or drought. Due to policy interventions, districts that have good roads, efficient irrigation systems, weather alerts and support for farmers are less likely to suffer losses to agricultural produce due to such challenging weather.

“On the other hand, a district that does not have efficient planning, resources or support to deal with conditions such as extreme heatwaves or droughts is called a less resilient district. They are more likely to be affected badly because they do not have the adaptation mechanisms to deal with such hazards quickly and effectively,” explains Chaitanya Adhav, lead author of the study.

Study findings 

The study used 50 sub-indicators, including the difference between actual and expected rainfall, forest area, population density, literacy rate, crop insurance, availability of irrigation, road connectivity and market infrastructure. These sub-indicators were classified into three major components of climate hazards, agricultural productivity and climate adaptability. While only 28.71% of the districts were considered ‘highly resilient’, most (43.91%) were found to be moderately resilient. The remaining 36 districts, which cover about 30% of the study area, lacked both institutional and ecological buffers to cope with climate change.

“Less resilient districts generally face a dual challenge. On the one hand, they are more vulnerable to changes in climate such as drought and erratic rainfall. On the other hand, their ability to adapt to climate change is highly constrained due to poor infrastructure, low literacy and limited institutional access. These areas need urgent attention and targeted interventions to plan for climate change resilience,” says Adhav.

Climate change resilient districts of central India 

Some of the least resilient districts identified in the study include Bhopal, Damoh, Guna, Morena, Panna, Sidhi, Tikamgarh, Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, all of which performed poorly on key indicators such as health infrastructure, forest cover and literacy rate. Other less resilient areas such as Sheopur (MP) and Durg (Chhattisgarh) face both environmental and institutional challenges such as frequent droughts, poor road connectivity and limited means of livelihood.

In contrast, Ahilya Nagar in Maharashtra was classified as a highly capable district due to better forest cover, road infrastructure and low population density. Districts such as Sangli and Kolhapur in Maharashtra and Raipur in Chhattisgarh also performed well, thanks to relatively better access to education, markets and public services. All the selected districts in southern UP emerged as low to medium capable districts, reflecting inefficiencies and uneven dissemination and implementation of policies.

Need for regionally prepared climate plans: Experts 

According to co-author and climate adaptation researcher Dr. Hari Nath Singh, this study brings forth the need for more detailed and regionally prepared climate plans. He said, “There is a need to make regionally prepared plans to deal with climate change because local people are the most affected by climate change. But policies are made at the national or state level.”

The study recommends promoting water harvesting to improve groundwater availability and crop diversification to mitigate the impact of environmental challenges in less resilient districts, as well as improving institutional support systems such as rural agricultural extension services and disaster preparedness mechanisms. The importance of ecological restoration and community-led natural resource management has been identified as long-term strategies to build climate resilience at the grassroots level.

“Resilience to climate change is not just dependent on technology or infrastructure. It also depends on social capital, governance and the capacity of communities to anticipate, plan and cope with uncertain climate events,” said Adhav.

(The author is a senior journalist based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh)