Web portal on climate by March next

Kochi: The Institute for Climate Change Studies (ICCS) would soon set up a web portal exclusively for providing data on climate change in the state which it hopes to be of help both to the public and the policy-makers. "The web portal will be ready by March next," Dr George Chackacherry, director, ICCS, told DC. "At present we are processing the required inputs we have collected from various research institutions besides the central and state government departments."  According to him, the data bank includes factors such as the rainfall pattern for the last century, identification of hotspots with regard to water resources and impact of climate change on various sectors, among others.

"As for the public, the portal will give information on the risk and vulnerability due to Climate change on sectors such as health and agriculture and the remedial measures," he said. "For instance, one can know about the possible illness during a particular season and the how to adapt to it. Similarly, it will give suggestions on the crop to be cultivated in a particular hotspot so that the productivity will be maximum." 

The portal, which is part of the initiative to set up the State Climate Change Knowledge Cell by 2020, will also have relevant climate change data to assist decision-makers to make policy intervention.  Meanwhile, the Kottayam-based research body is also planning to work on a climate prediction body. "The project is at a nascent stage and will take a couple of years for realization," Dr Chackacherry said. "We plan to set up an advanced facility to make proper weather predictions. There was some delay in passing information about the cyclone Ockhi and we aim to address that."