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prepared in a systematic and planned manner, based on

climatic and water resource information:

• nationwide climate monitoring programme

• improved methods for accounting of climate-related

uncertainty for decision-making processes

• reassessment in the new climate scenario of water

availability and demands in all regions, particularly in

water-scarce regions

• re-examination of water allocation policies and

operating rules

• proper coordination among concerned organizations so

as to freely share the data, technology and experience

for capacity-building.

In addition, strategies such as the planning of land use, especially

in new land developments, are being considered. Areas where

water supply priorities are low can be planted with drought-

resistant varieties of trees. Knowledge of water requirements

for various crops and planting dates is integrated systematically

with water supply probabilities to develop planting strategies.

The selection of cropping patterns according to the availability

of water will reduce the adverse impacts of drought on potential

water-consuming crops. Plants suitable for water-scarce areas

could be those with a shorter growth period, high-yielding

plants requiring no increase in water supply, plants that can

tolerate saline irrigation water, plants with low transpiration

rates, and plants with deep and well-branched roots.

India became a signatory to the United Nations Convention

to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on 14 October 1994 and

ratified it on 17 December 1996. The Ministry of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change is the nodal ministry in the

Government of India for UNCCD and the Desertification Cell

is the nodal point within the ministry to coordinate all issues

pertaining to the convention.

Rainfall projections for different seasons in India

Source: Bhattacharya, 2006

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