Shillong, July 24: The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Sikkim Shri Prem Singh Tamang was part of the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) meeting chaired by the Hon'ble Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah. Hon'ble Minister DoNER, Tourism and Culture Shri G.Kishan Reddy, Chief Ministers of the Northeast states and other dignitaries were also part of the meeting held at NESAC headquarters at Umiam, Shillong, today.
In his address, the Hon'ble Chief Minister gave a brief background of Sikkim providing the geological features and terrain of the state. He stated that Sikkim being part of the Eastern Himalayas which is a young mountain system and prone to frequent landslides, adding that it also falls under the seismic zone 04 which poses a constant threat.
Speaking about climate change, he said, " the impact of climate change is becoming evident in the Sikkim Himalayan region, and the effects are visible". He elaborated and stated that this has manifested in extreme rainfall resulting in a large volume of water received in a short duration of time. Further, he added that these abnormal rainfall events generate high-velocity storm-flow downstream, creating massive soil erosion in gullies and river banks, risking the life and property of the people.
The Hon'ble Chief Minister emphasised the need for an urgent plan for minimizing soil erosion and its consequences over the slopes of the Sikkim Himalaya. In this context, he stated that Remote Sensing and GIS applications are significant in the decision-making process and long-term planning of natural resources management. He informed that NESAC under the Department of Space, Government of India, Shillong has identified different areas for the application of space technology in Sikkim.
The Hon'ble Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to the Hon'ble Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah and Hon'ble Minister DoNER, Tourism and Culture Shri G Kishan Reddy for their kind indulgence and continued generosity.
He also thanked the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri Conrad Sangma and Secretary of the North Eastern Council Shri K. Moses Chalai for the warm hospitality in the ever enchanting location of Shillong.
During his address, the Hon'ble Chief Minister presented some of the key areas of interventions which are as follows;
1. Interlinking water surplus with deficit areas for water security and identifying the shortest distance for interlinking etc.
2. Identification of dried-up lakes for their rejuvenation and development of water storage by linking with the water surplus area.
3. Minimizing soil erosion and floods during extreme events by identifying the vulnerable gullies and points in river banks for engineering interventions. Tentatively, 35 such vulnerable areas have been identified for detailed analysis using space technology for protection and restoration measures.
4. Around 14 potentially vulnerable glacial lakes in Sikkim Himalaya have been identified, continuously expanding in their size and volume due to the melting of glaciers.
5. The expanding glacial lakes have posed a serious threat of Glacial Lake outburst flood. Therefore, to avoid and minimize the risks to hydropower, human settlements, defence establishments, etc. identifying sites for the construction of check dams is the state's priority.
6. Mapping and Monitoring of forest cover dynamics and human-wildlife conflict using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System.
7. Geo-tagging and Monitoring of projects funded by the Government in Sikkim using Geospatial Technology and Tools.
8. Identification of agriculture fallow land for the establishment of community organic farming centres in Sikkim.
9. Developing a Medical Emergency mobile application for telemedicine support in linkage with nearest Health centre, District Hospital as well as State Hospital.
10. Deployment of Early Warning System and hydrodynamic modelling For Floods using Space-Based Technology in 2 Potentially Vulnerable Glacial Lakes in Sikkim