Union Minister Urged To Set Up Climate Change Research Centre In Balasore

Congress leader Navajyoti Patnaik urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to set up a research centre in the Balasore district to evaluate the impact of climate change in coastal Odisha.

According to the official reports, in a letter to Dharmendra Pradhan, Navajyoti Patnaik highlighted the frequency of cyclones that had gone up substantially, causing havoc in the coastal districts that were home to two-thirds of the state’s population. He also stated that there was a greater need for analysing location-specific information of vulnerability to natural disasters, designing better strategies to cope with them and developing community resilience.

The report further stated that he proposed the setting up of a Coastal Resilience Research Centre (CRRC) at the Fakir Mohan University, Balasore. The district and the peripheral area, which have been ideal destinations for the landfall of tropical cyclones, can be utilised for cyclonic trajectory studies and subsequent analysis of comprehensive coastal resource management. It will embody a multi-disciplinary approach to research and planning that can help in building a long-term sustainable response to climate change and its impact on the coastal ecosystem of Odisha.