Department of Environment and Forests

The Department of Environment and Forests is the nodal agency for climate change matters in the Assam. The department formed a Steering committee, with members nominated from various line departments, and chaired by the chief secretary, oversees the preparation and initial implementation of the Assam SAPCC. Working groups were formed on:

• Agriculture: Members – Agriculture department, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Tea Board, Agriculture University
• Water resources and Floods: Members- Water Resources Department, Irrigation department, Public Health department, Water Resources depart, University of Guwahati; Assam Disaster Management Authority
• Forest and Biodiversity: Forest Department, Biodiversity Board, Tourism, ASDMA
• Habitats: PHE, Urban Development Department, Health and Family Welfare, Inland Transport, Road Transport, ASDMA
• Enhanced Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: Department of power, Assam Renewable Energy Department

Assam State Action Plan on Climate Change

The SAPCC is being prepared with the objective of identification of adaptation strategies that will make the State resilient, to the extent possible, to the ongoing climate variability, climate change and associated extreme events. It is perceived that developing climate resilience would not hamper the State’s developmental aspirations. It aligns itself with the guidance provided by the missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change and the principles of adaption followed while developing the Assam SAPCC, which are as follows:

1. Ensuring sustainability of water resources: Water being essential to all economic activities, the SAPCC looks at how water resources can be augmented and best utilized in a changing climate scenario and what necessary institutional changes will be required to make these strategies come to affect.
2. Ensuring sustainability of agriculture systems: Major concerns are sustainability of critical ecosystems including agro-ecosystems (agriculture, fishery, and livestock) to ensure livelihood security in a changing climate scenario.
3. Protection and conservation of forests and bio-resource within: Focus areas are sustainable management of Forest, Wild Life and biodiversity and developing resilience of eco-system services.
4. Making habitats climate resilient: Major concern is the expanding and high density urban human settlements where proving sanitation, drinking water, transportation, health, waste management and other amenities will be a challenge in the future changing climate scenario.
5. Ensuring energy sufficiency and efficiency: Major concerns will be technological initiations and intervention with more focus on harnessing new and renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation.
6. Addressing enhanced impacts of anticipated extreme events: Adaptation planning in anticipation of intensification of extreme events to ameliorate the exacerbated impacts will be the underlying motto here.