GUWAHATI, Oct 15 - The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in collaboration with the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) and Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) launched a climate atlas today in the form of a web portal called �TERI Climate Tool� or TCT to assist policy planning at the regional level and help decision-makers to be climate ready.
The atlas has been developed under the project PREPARE, under phase-2 of the Norwegian Framework Agreement between TERI and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has also funded the atlas.
At the virtual event, TERI also launched a flood early warning system for predicting urban floods for Jorhat city (FEWS-J) in Assam like an earlier one launched for Guwahati city on August 13. Replicable for any part of India, the FEWS-J tool provides a warning with a lead time of 72 hours about flash floods or heavy rainfall.
Delivering the keynote address, Jishnu Baruah, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, said, �Science-based tools such as TERI Climate Tool (TCT) and flood early warning systems (FEWS), backed by robust scientific knowledge, are necessary to mainstream robust climate information, early warning and risk reduction services into policy and decision-making.�
Baruah further said, �Assam faced three waves of floods this year which impacted 30 districts. TCT-enabled tools are essential for mitigation of risks and to expand the regional disaster risk reduction efforts of various cities in Assam including Guwahati and Jorhat, located on the bank of the Brahmaputra river.�
In her special address, Ms Camilla Dannevig, Counsellor Corporation, Embassy of Norway to India, said, �Norway highly prioritises the cooperation with India on environmental issues and climate change. Norwegian scientists and companies have cutting-edge knowledge and experience in the areas of environmental management and technology. Cooperation with India offers considerable opportunities for Norwegian actors, who can assist India in addressing the climate challenge.�
MS Manivannan, Chief Executive Officer, Assam State Disaster Management Authority, said, �There is a need to strengthen community-level response systems in urban areas of Assam. The IMD tool and TERI tools can be used effectively together to help us address issues of flooding in Assam.�
The virtual programme was also attended by Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI.
