Climate Change Impacts in Drought and Flood Affected Areas : Case Studies in India

The aim of this study is to assist the
government in this endeavor by focusing on selected
priorities. The overarching objective of this report is to
promote the mainstreaming and integration of climate related
risks in India's development policies and processes,
where this is appropriate. The objectives and scope of work
were developed in close consultation with the Ministry of
Environment and Forests as the primary counterpart, a
cross-section of concerned ministries and departments in the
central government and in three selected states
(Maharashtra, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh), and scientific
experts from academic, policy and research institutions. In
the states, the department of water resources, government of
Orissa, and the department of rural development and water
conservation, government of Maharashtra, supported these
assessments, reflecting a multi-sectoral interest in and
demand for adaptation solutions. The focus of this report is
on vulnerabilities in natural resources and rural
livelihoods, which stand at the front line of climate change
impacts. The approach was dictated by government priorities,
which indicated the need to: (a) assess climate risks to
agriculture and livelihoods in areas facing elevated and
increasing exposure to droughts and floods; (b) generate
better information on current coping and climate risk
management strategies in response to droughts and floods;
(c) develop and demonstrate the use of a climate modeling
framework that can be used to identify future climate risks;
and (d) use the information to assist in developing the key
elements of a forward looking adaptation plan that can help
improve climate resilience and adaptive capacity.