Climate change havoc affecting health of human beings, animals and crops: Govt

Climate change is causing new diseases and affecting health of human beings, animals, and crops in country, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said: "Yes, certain climate-sensitive health issues/ diseases have been identified in human beings."

For instance, air pollution-related illness, climate change and disaster-related diseases, heat-related illness, vector-borne diseases, and water-borne diseases have been identified under National Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health (NAPCCHH), he said.

Besides, emergence, transmission, and establishment of animal diseases are influenced by climate change, minister said ding that Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has been studying impact of diseases and insect pests under changing climates in various crops and animals.

Climatic conditions influence outbreak of some diseases like Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), Avian Influenza, African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever, ileriosis, Gastro-intestinal Parasitism (GIP), and Anthrax.

Among field crops, diseases like alternaria blight in groundnut; blast, sheath rot, and blight in rice; dry root rot in chickpea; stem rot in mustard and vegetable; thrips in chilies and white fly in various crops h direct co-relation to changes in climate, he said.

Similarly, effect of a rise in sea surface temperature (SST) and its impact is visible on fish habitat, changes in phenology, trophodynamics, abundance and catch of fish species, as well as distributional shift of fish and shift in breeding season, minister ded.

minister also said ICAR has launched a flagship network project to study impact of climate change on agriculture, including crops, livestock, horticulture, and fisheries; to develop and promote climate resilient technologies in agriculture; to dress vulnerable areas of country and to help districts and regions prone to extreme wear conditions like droughts, floods, frost, heat waves, etc. to cope with such extremes.

Under this programme, pest dynamics of climate change under field conditions were studied through database development on diseases, insect-pests, and wear of crops of importance across 12 agro-climatic zones, he said.

ICAR has developed climate-resilient varieties in different crops that are tolerant to diseases and insect-pests. Since 2014, a total of 1,752 climate-resilient varieties have been developed which include 1,352 resistant to diseases and insect-pests.

Besides, 68 location-specific climate-resilient technologies have been developed and popularized for wider option among farming communities.

Agricultural contingency plans for 650 districts have been prepared. Based on vulnerability assessment, climate-resilient technologies are being demonstrated on farmers' fields in 151 clusters covering 446 villages.

ICAR has also developed ICT-based pest surveillance for data accrual; Location specific wear-based models (rule-based & empirical) to predict pest status; digital tools of pest forecasting (web and mobile apps on Pestpredict); mobile apps on integrated pest management of target crops including insecticide and fungicide calculators and forecast modules, he said.

That apart, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has identified and initiated research on four priority areas: Climate Change and Vector-Borne diseases, Aerosols and Respiratory Diseases, UV-A and UV-B and Corneal Damage, and Cataract and Environment and Heart Diseases.