45% households in Alappuzha vulnerable to impacts of climate change
Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Pathanamthitta are the other districts more vulnerable to climate change-induced vulnerabilities, according to a survey taken
Climate change-induced vulnerabilities like extreme rainfall events that trigger floods and landslips along with other vagaries of the weather have increased the vulnerability of rural and urban households towards climate change in Kerala.
The Kerala Migration Survey 2023 conducted by the Gulati Institute of Finance Taxation (GIFT) with technical support from the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD) has found that Alappuzha is the most vulnerable place in the State with around 45% of the households in the coastal district reporting one or other sort of climatic event.
The climate events covered by the survey included vulnerability to floods, cyclones, landslips, coastal erosion, and droughts.
Floods play major role
Among the various climate events, floods play a major role in increasing household level vulnerability followed by other events. For instance, a sample of 20,000 households across 14 districts and 77 taluks of Kerala, selected through a stratified multistage random sampling method, was subjected to the survey. Of these 20,000 households, around 2,000 households are exposed to recurrent floods every year, with the majority in Alappuzha, said S. Irudaya Rajan, chairman, IIMAD.
This has necessitated the need to hold a detailed survey on this aspect, and the IIMAD will undertake another comprehensive survey on households’ vulnerability to climate change and its impact in six months, said Mr. Rajan. Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Pathanamthitta are the other districts more vulnerable to climate change-induced vulnerabilities, while districts like Kasaragod, Palakkad, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram are relatively in a better position compared to the rest of the State, according to the survey.
Social issues
The household level vulnerability to climate change has also triggered a host of social issues, including internal displacement, apart from accelerating migration in general. For instance, when people in affected areas like lowlands in Alappuzha move to highland areas, this creates a sort of imbalance in society. First, the land value in affected areas plummets, and vice-versa in highland areas, increasing the pressure on such areas. The inequality created by the climate vagaries will also lead to other social issues, said Mr. Rajan.
Only a detailed study can unearth the magnitude of the vulnerability and the social issues that arise from it. Earlier, the State Action Plan on Climate Change 2023–2030, released in 2022, put nine districts in Kerala as highly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming and climate change. Erratic monsoons, coupled with extreme rainfall events and a rise in temperature, increased the vulnerability of the State.
The State Action Plan on Climate Change has also underscored that extreme rainfall events are projected to increase, indicating changes in the magnitude, frequency, and timing of these events.
- Telegram
SEE ALL
PRINT