By IANS
New Delhi : Global warming and subsequent sea level rise will hit the eastern cost of India by the end of this century and displace over seven million people, the environment ministry said Friday.
Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Namo Narain Meena, informed parliament that a study conducted by the government on the impact of climate change has projected alarming signals for India.
"In the event of one meter sea-level rise, 5,764 sq km of land in coastal areas of India is projected to be lost, displacing approximately 7.1 million people along with 4,200 km of roads by the end of the 21st century," Meena said, quoting the study.
"Further, the coastal areas are also vulnerable to projected increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like storm surges and cyclones. In the eastern coast, the vulnerable districts include Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara in Orissa and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu," the minister said.
Almost reiterating the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which projected similar environmental disaster, the minister said the ocean adjoining the Indian subcontinent was likely to warm at its surface by about 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius by the middle of this century and by about 2.3 to 3.5 degrees by the end of the century.