I am seriously worried about this. Recently I took interview of climate scientist Dr Sangram [ watch interview www.fosaac.tv] and I was discussing about what research data is indicating.
Situation is worse than you can think of. Ground water dried up almost completely in some areas of Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Madhypradesh. Normally there is a equilibrium balance between rain/precipitation versus usage of ground water--once precipitation level shows change-unless ground water usage is adjusted to the new level, ground water will be dried up very fast. I was told that satellite data of vegetation is still strong in India but shortfall is due over next decade thanks to ground water depletion.
This added to high food price will blow ultimate punch to unsustainable population of South Asia. We are at the brink of a complete environmental disaster in this region.
Biplab
Sonia Kelkar <soniakelkar1978@gmail.com> wrote:
Sonia Kelkar <soniakelkar1978@
'Climate change will cause food shortage in India'
May 06, 2008 12:34 IST
Even as US President George Bush [Images] blamed the increasing prosperity of Indian middle class for global food shortage and rising prices, the World Health Organisation has said that global warming and climate change were causing large scale loss of agricultural productivity aggravating malnutrition and micro-nutrient deficiency in the country.
According to the WHO, Himalayan glaciers are shrinking due to global warming at the rate of 10 to 15 meters per year, which would affect the water supply in India. River Ganga is expected to lose two-third of its July to September flow resulting in change in the productivity of arable land.
These changes will in turn affect one-third of India's irrigated land. Water shortage will affect more than 500 million people. Large scale losses in agricultural productivity may in turn give rise to malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, it said.
"Cereal prices have been projected to increase more than three fold by 2080 as a consequence of decline in net productivity, due to projected climate change. Food insecurity and loss of livelihood are likely to be further exacerbated by the loss of cultivable lands and nursery areas for fisheries by inundation and coastal erosion in low lying areas of India," the WHO has predicted, adding that global
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