Commissioner Secretary Forest Ecology and Environment, Saurabh Bhagat, today inaugurated a training programme on Climate Change Adaptation in Jammu and Kashmir at IMPA Srinagar.The four-day training programme is being organized by the State Climate Change Centre (SCCC-JK), Department of Ecology, Environment & Remote Sensing, in collaboration with the Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (IHCAP), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and NABCONS.The Commissioner Secretary while speaking on the occasion said that this training will create a pool of trainers who will further train the mid, senior and field level officials in the districts.He said such training programmes, which involve Associate and Assistant Professors representing each district of the State and officers of nodal departments implementing the State Action Plan on Climate Change, shall establish an expert group which can eventually reduce the dependency of the State on consultants from outside. He underscored the need for use of science in policy, planning and decision making.
The Commissioner Secretary also informed the audience about the upcoming State Spatial Data Infrastructure (SSDI), updated Atlas of Lakes and Waterbodies of Kashmir Valley for preparing State Climate Change Perspective Report.The training programme is being conducted with the help of internationally renowned experts in Climate Change including Prof. NH Ravindranath from Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, IISc, Bangaluru, Prof. P. C. Tiwari from Kumaon University Nainital, Prof Naresh Kumar Soora from Climate Change and Crop and Environment Simulation Modelling, and Dr Sooraj Pandey from Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.Renowned experts from the Sate including Shakil A. Romshoo, Head, Earth Sciences Department, University of Kashmir, Prof. G M Dar, Head, Centre for Disaster Management and Environmental Studies, IMPA&RD, Prof. Akhlaq A. Wani, Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-K, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, Scientist, IMD Srinagar, and Majid Farooq, Coordinator State Climate Change Centre, J&K, also shared their expertise in the training programme.Some 50 participants from Higher Education department and State universities besides officers from JKEDA, Agriculture, IF&C, ULB, Health, Tourism and Disaster Management departments are partaking in the training programme.