Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Study on Madhya Pradesh released

by GIZ's programme, Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Areas of India

Twelve districts of Madhya Pradesh are most vulnerable to climate change, a study has found.
The 12 most vulnerable districts are Dindori, Anuppur, Shahdol , Ashoknagar, Tikamgarh, Umaria, Singrauli, Sidhi, Morena, Alirajpur, Panna and Bhind, while Bhopal, Indore, Hoshangabad and Gwalior figure in the low vulnerable category.

The study, conducted on 2011 Census, to assess the climate change risks and vulnerabilities of Madhya Pradesh was taken up under the collaborative project of ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) .

Most of the districts with high vulnerability are located in the east and north of Madhya Pradesh, except Alirajpur which is in south west.

The high vulnerability of these 12 districts is because they have comparatively low adaptive capacity, show higher sensitivity and exposure to climate change with respect to the other districts. Besides, they have very high social, economic, agriculture, forest, water resource, health and climate vulnerability. The lesser vulnerable districts are mostly located in the southern region, except Gwalior.

The lesser vulnerability of districts is associated with their relatively higher economic capacity, highest irrigation potential, high literacy rate, less exposure to extreme climatic events, larger forest area and better access to infrastructure. The study was released at a twoday national conference recently.

The analysis of the pattern of vulnerability of districts to climate change has shown that generally the north, east, southeast and south western districts are more vulnerable to climate change. This is explained by the greater exposure to drought and climate extremes as well as low levels of technology and socio-economic development.

Lokendra Thakkar, coordinator of Climate Change Division EPCO, said realising the vulnerability of the districts in the state to climate change would help the authorities and policy makers in formulating adaptation strategies and integrating climate change concerns in development planning processes.