By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS
Shillong : A group of tribal kings in Meghalaya in northeastern India have chosen former US Vice President Al Gore to receive a ‘global award’ for his efforts at creating awareness about climate change.
An estimated 3,000 kings and tribal chieftains from the state’s three major tribes – the Khasis, Jaintias, and the Garos – have invited Gore to receive the award Oct 6 to be held near a sacred forest at village Mawphlang, close to Meghalaya’s capital Shillong.
“We were greatly inspired after watching Gore’s Academy Award-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”, and decided to honour him for his concern about the dangers of climate change,” Robert Kharshiing, chairman of the Grassroots Democracy Advisory Council, told IANS Friday.
The award function is being held under the Council’s banner – a group that is fighting for constitutional recognition of the traditional institution of kingship in this predominantly Christian state of 2.3 million people bordering Bangladesh.
“The award is to draw global attention to the serious problem of environmental changes facing the world today, including our own region that is located on the Himalayan belt,” said Kharshiing, who is also a member of the Rajya Sabha.
“Melting of glaciers, pollution of rivers, and other environmental degradation facing our region could have serious consequences in the near future and associating with Gore could help us highlight the serious climate change afflicting us.”
There was no official word from Gore’s office whether he would attend the award function.
“We were told from Gore’s office that he was humbled after hearing about the award. We hope he would accept our invitation and personally come to receive the award,” Kharshiing said.
An estimated 300,000 people are expected to attend the function where several top Indian economists and environmentalists would deliver lectures on the theme of socio-economic development and climate change.
“We have decided to give a certificate, a citation, traditional gifts, besides a token cash amount to Gore,” the tribal leader said.
Kharshiing said the impact of climate change has already hit Meghalaya with two small villages, Sohra (earlier known as Cherrapunjee) and Mawsynram, known for being the world’s rainiest places, now receiving scanty rains.
Sohra, overlooking the plains of Bangladesh, holds various world records like receiving the highest rainfall in 12 months and one month.
From August 1860 to July 1861, Sohra recorded 26.5 meters of rainfall and during the month of July in 1861 it was lashed by 9.3 meters of rainfall – the two records still exist.
Sohra is known to be one of the world’s wettest places, but the Guinness Book of World Records lists Mawsynram as getting the highest rainfall.
“We took data from 1851 to 2001, almost 150 years of data and found there is a decreasing (rainfall) tendency,” said Surendra Singh, a geographer with the North-Eastern Hill University in Meghalaya.
Current rainfall data were not immediately available for Sohra and Maysynram.
“The threat due to global warming and other such factors is looming over Meghalaya and it is time we take the issue seriously,” Kharshiing said.