If climate change goes unmitigated by 2031, Konkan and Northern Maharashtra could be hit hard. Konkan region could get excess rainfall while Northern Maharashtra could become drier and hot, throwing up significant challenges for agriculture and livelihood, an interim report by The Energy and Resources Institute has revealed.

The report pointed out that the coastal districts could get 15 per cent excess rainfall, while districts such as Dhule, Nandurbar and Jalgaon in northern part of the State could be hotter by about 3 degrees Celsius, while Nashik district would be cooler.

In March 2010, Maharashtra government had signed a memorandum of understanding with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for studying climate change.

Senior Officials in Maharashtra government told Business Line that based on the report, pilot studies in six districts, which are vulnerable to climate change would be carried out. “If people’s livelihoods are impacted in a significant manner then funds would be raised from international agencies such as the United Nations, which will help them migrate to an alternatives means of income,” the official said.

Agriculture in Maharashtra has got deep linkages with the economy. Significantly altered rainfall could affect hydrological systems and agricultural productivity. Higher temperature could help agriculture pest breed more. Climate change in the next 20 years could put at risk a significant percentage of the population, the official said.

TERI has sourced Maharashtra’s climate data of last many years and has fed into a computer climate change model, created by the United Kingdom’s Metrological Office. Based on the results of the model, TERI has estimated the impact by 2031 on agriculture, hydrology, marine ecosystems, and forests of Maharashtra.

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