Siliguri, June 2: The North Bengal University will set up a centre for climate studies to carry out researches on the changing weather in sub-Himalayan Bengal.
According to varsity sources, a 20-member advisory committee was constituted in the beginning of the year to draft a detailed project report (DPR) after a proposal to establish the centre was approved by the varsity’s executive council.
“The proposal to set up a centre for climate studies was made by the department of geography and it was passed by the EC. The advisory committee will draft in the DPR, the financial requirement, the purpose of setting up the centre and research and development projects that will be carried out to submit to government departments for funds,” a member of the committee said.
The main aim behind setting up such a centre is to study the change in climate in a “unique area” like the sub-Himalayan West Bengal (SHWB) and provide suggestions to the departments concerned, like environment and disaster management, to take necessary action.
“The SHWB is a unique area with diverse flora and fauna, tea gardens and water bodies. The region in the past 10 years has undergone a marked change in the weather pattern. The duration of rainy season in the past few years has decreased and the amount of rainfall received every year is not consistent. While some years we receive heavy rainfall triggering landslides in hills and floods in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri, the other years are comparatively dry affecting the tea gardens and increasing the water crisis in the hills,” the member said.
He added that these would be the major issues on which the researches would be carried out.
The varsity has a weather service station managed by the department of geography. The service station will function as the nodal office of the climate centre.
TT
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