Climate Change Impacts in Drought and Flood Affected Areas : Case Studies in India

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assist the government in this endeavor by focusing on selected priorities. The overarching objective of this report is to promote the mainstreaming and integration of climate related risks in India's development policies and processes, where this is appropriate. The objectives and scope of work were developed in close consultation with the Ministry of Environment and Forests as the primary counterpart, a cross-section of concerned ministries and departments in the central government and in three selected states (Maharashtra, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh), and scientific experts from academic, policy and research institutions. In the states, the department of water resources, government of Orissa, and the department of rural development and water conservation, government of Maharashtra, supported these assessments, reflecting a multi-sectoral interest in and demand for adaptation solutions. The focus of this report is on vulnerabilities in natural resources and rural livelihoods, which stand at the front line of climate change impacts. The approach was dictated by government priorities, which indicated the need to: (a) assess climate risks to agriculture and livelihoods in areas facing elevated and increasing exposure to droughts and floods; (b) generate better information on current coping and climate risk management strategies in response to droughts and floods; (c) develop and demonstrate the use of a climate modeling framework that can be used to identify future climate risks; and (d) use the information to assist in developing the key elements of a forward looking adaptation plan that can help improve climate resilience and adaptive capacity.