Above 80% of Indians live in districts vulnerable to climate risks: Report

Dhemaji and Nagaon in Assam, Khammam in Telangana, Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Gajapati in Odisha, Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh and Sangli in Maharashtra among India's most climate vulnerable districts

More than 80 per cent Indians live in districts vulnerable to climate risks, while Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar are states which are most vulnerable to extreme climate events such as floods, droughts and cyclones in India, said the Climate Vulnerability Index released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) on Monday.

The report has cited Dhemaji and Nagaon in Assam, Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Khammam in Telangana, Gajapati in Odisha, Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh and Sangli in Maharashtra among India’s most climate vulnerable districts. Overall, 27 Indian states and Union Territories are vulnerable to extreme climate events which often disrupt the local economy and displace weaker communities, it said.

The study, supported by the India Climate Collaborative and Edelgive Foundation, further highlighted that 463 out of 640 districts in India are vulnerable to extreme floods, droughts and cyclones. More than 45 per cent of these districts have undergone unsustainable landscape and infrastructure changes. Further, 183 hotspot districts are highly vulnerable to more than one extreme climate event. The CEEW study also found that more than 60 per cent of Indian districts have medium to low adaptive capacity.

The CEEW study also highlighted that states in North East are more vulnerable to floods, while the ones in the south and central are most vulnerable to extreme droughts. Further, 59 and 41 per cent of the total districts in the eastern and western states, respectively, are highly vulnerable to extreme cyclones.

Only 63 per cent of Indian districts have a District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP). “While these plans need to be updated every year, only 32 per cent of them had updated plans until 2019. Highly vulnerable, states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka and Gujarat have improved their respective DDMPs and climate-proofed critical infrastructures in the recent years,” it said.

Abinash Mohanty, programme lead, CEEW, and lead author of the study, said, “The frequency and intensity of extreme climate events in India have increased by almost 200 per cent since 2005. Our policymakers, industry leaders and citizens must use the district-level analysis to make effective risk-informed decisions. India must create a new Climate Risk Commission to coordinate the environmental de-risking mission.”

The CEEW study recommended that restoration of climate-sensitive landscapes will act as natural shock absorbers against extreme climate events. Further, integration of climate risk profiling with infrastructure planning is imperative for protecting the existing and planned infrastructure projects. The findings are relevant since India is considered the seventh most vulnerable country across the globe, according to the Climate Risk Index by Germanwatch. The CEEW study is the first one to assess the vulnerability of India’s districts against extreme climate events.

Arunabha Ghosh, chief executive officer of CEEW, said, “Combating the rising frequency and scale of extreme climate events is fiscally draining for developing countries such as India. At COP-26, developed countries must regain trust by delivering the $100 billion promised since 2009 and commit to stepping up climate finance over the coming decade. Further, India must collaborate with other countries to create a Global Resilience Reserve Fund, which could act as insurance against climate shocks.”