CLIMATE CARE - NORTHEAST INDIA

MONOJ GOGOI The UN’s ‘ International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’ is celebrated across the world today on August 9, 2021. This year the UN decided ‘Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract '  as theme of the Day. This one is one of the most significant Days to think and take local and global decisions for the rights of the indigenous people inhabiting with their own culture and lifestyles across the globe. Through a resolution (47/214), taken on 23 rd December, 1994, the UN General Assembly had decided 9 th August to be observed as the International Day of the World Indigenous Peoples as on this day in 1982, the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights had held the first meeting. The number of indigenous people across the world is estimated around 476 million which would be approximately 5% of world’s total population. But in the context of poverty, illi

  MONOJ GOGOI AUG 4 Th , 2021 A severe storm hit more than 10 villages near Dhunagiri and Bihpuria  this morning under Bihpuria revenue circle in Lakhimpur district. The storm, accompanied by strong wind flattened innumerous houses, granneries, cowsheds, standind crops and uprooted many trees which also affected in damaging houses. The uprooted trees created blockade the roods in many places and disrupted electricity to the area. The most afeected villages in this storm were Dah Gharia, Bholukaguri, Kalbari, Aunibari, Ronganoi Chenimara, Gongrabari, Bahgarha Pathar, Puroni Bahgorha etc. Ramchandra Hazarika, a village headman, informed that the storm started around 5:10 am this morning and continued upto an hour which ravaged the area. He also told that this was an unprecedented and unseasonal. This type of storm was never witnessed in this season, some of the elderly people of the area informed. Bijoy Doley, the secretary of Village Disaster Management Committee (VDMC) of Dah Gha

MONOJ GOGOI  PHOTO CREDIT: TONMOY CHUTIA  When the northern and western states of India are reeling under severe floods due to heavy precipitations or cloud bursts in the northern Himalayan states now, drought like situation in upper Assam, particularly in the districts of north bank districts – Dhemaji and Lakhimpur, highly affects the water intensive crops. The people who live in the flood-prone areas reported that instead of flood, in this flood season the farmers were facing acute water crisis for agricultural purpose. Some farmers from the Kadam Revenue Circle and the Bihpuria Revenue Circle informed that the bau rice (deep water rice) was not growing as expected as there was no adequate quantity of water in the paddy fields Raj Kumar Chandi, a youth from the Dhunaguri area under Bihpuria RC informed that farmers from many flood affected villages from the area traditionally depended upon bau cultivation and this year too, the farmers expected tried to grow this water intensive var

MONOJ GOGOI DATE: JULY 28TH , 2021 To create awareness on Covid-19 among the people in the tea gardens and Adivasi populated areas in Lakhimpur district, Peoples’ Action for Development (PAD), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in collaboration with Action Aid Association resorted to announcement using mike and a vehicle. The 10-day long awareness campaign which was started on 18th July last concluded on Wednesday successfully. During these days, campaigning team, led by Philipson Sona, Deputy Director of PAD and Rajesh Kerketta, Governing Body Member and also the president of All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam, covered all the tea gardens of the district and 10 Adivasi populated villages. The announcement was pre-recorded and amid a beautiful mesmerizing melodious song the Covid protocols, set by the health department, were announced in every lanes of the tea gardens and village roads in Adivasi (Adivasiya Sadri) language. The district is still under complete lockdown fo

  MONOJ GOGOI Gopal Toppo, 23, a students’ activist and teacher died this morning at his home in Factory Line of Ananda Tea Estate in Lakhimpur district. Toppo had been suffering from severe chest pain for last few months and this morning at 6:00 am he succumbed to this.   He was continuing as education secretary in the Ananda unit of All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASSAA) and also serving as teacher at Saint Don Bosco School near Ananda Tea Estate. The fellow student activists of the area expressed deep grief and hoisted the AASAA flags during his cremation. The AASAA secretary Joseph Minj mourned at his sudden death and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family. He told that the organization lost a very active leader with high potentiality in the district. “He was the only son of the family and also sole breadwinner. Therefore we request the government and also the tea estate authority to help the family with some financial assistance. Adivasi Sahitya Sab

MONOJ GOGOI     June 5, 2021 : The World Environment Day, observed for the first time in the United States in 1974, has become one of the most celebrated events of the United Nations for it’s importance in the present context. In Assam, many Non-Governmental Organizations including Guwahati based Aaranyak, Jorhat based North East Affected-Area Development Society (NEADS) and People’s Action for Development (PAD) with Head Office at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district observed the event abiding by the Covid-19 protocols imposed by the government. The World Environment Day has become more significant to create awareness among the world community on deteriorating environment across the globe. Human activities, like massive combustion of fossil fuels, excessive use of natural resources in unscientific manner, huge deforestation, human encroachment to natural bodies like fresh water sources, protected forest areas etc has debilitated the earth atmosphere. The emissions of Green House Gases

Manuel Aind  Arun Kongari  Lakhimpur: People’s Action for Development (PAD), a leading Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), based in upper Assam recently distributed water-resilient rice seeds to a hundred farmers of 10 villages under Bihpuria Revenue Circle of Lakhimpur district of Assam. The NGO has been working to help the marginalised communities, particularly the tribals, Adivasis, women, children and other socio-economically downtrodden sections, of the region for last decades. Following all the ongoing Covid-19 protocols, imposed by the administration and additional suggetions from experienced medical professionals, the PAD volunteers sent the seeds to the Village Disaster Management Committees (VDMCs) of the 10 selected villages, highly affected by the Subansiri river’s floods and erosion. From each village, 10 farmers were chosen as beneficiaries by the PAD volunteers and the members of the VDMCs. The seed support to the farmers could be done under a project entitled “S

No doubt, Assam Education and Welfare of Plain Tribes and Other Backward Classes (WPT & OBC) Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu has immense love for nature which are reflected on some his works. Dr Pegu dreamt to promote eco-tourism in the Northeast region of India. The region has tremendous potentiality to promote eco-tourism for its richness on Environment and Nature; and ethnic cultural diversity. Dr Ranoj Pegu spoke on the eco-camp, established and has been maintaining by Mising Autonomous Council (MAC), and importance of such such infrastructures in the region to attract tourists to the place in 2010. Now, in May, 2021, he became a cabinet Minister in the Assam Government. Hope, he will surely look after for the development of this sector too. Our expectation is high from you sir and Congratulate you.

  MONOJ GOGOI DHEMAJI, MAY 2: Kalbari an archipelago swathe of countryside in the Subansiri river under Bihpuria revenue circle of Lakhimapur district largely devastated by a massive storm came yesterday evening from the southern side and later the reversed storm wind flattened a large number of houses in the village with 85 households. Raj Kumar Chandi, a resident of the village and volunteer of People's Action for Development (PAD) informed today that the storm came suddenly and flattened 15 houses in village and the rest of the houses had been damaged highly by eroding roofs and bamboo walls. Elderly people told that this was an unprecedented storm and never experienced in their lifetimes. The panic stricken people immediately took shelter under banana trees available in the village with their children only to save to save lives. People from the village also informed that including houses they also lost their rice banks to the storm. When the storm ended it became dark and pe

MONOJ GOGOI   A handbook, 'Baan Durjyugor Somoyat Lobo Loga Sabodhanatar Haatputhi’ compiled by Monoj Gogoi and published by People's Action for Development (PAD) and Germany based Terre des Homme (TDH) was inaugurated today at Laluk field office of PAD. Inaugurating the book, Dhrubajyoti Borah, an employee at Aide et Action told that the book was very relevant at present time. And it would definitely help the flood affected communities in Assam. Israel Sanga from the organization expressed his happiness at the releasing of the handbook. He added Assam, particularly the districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji geographically very vulnerable to flood disaster. The book addressed about the cautionary measures that should be taken during flood, pre-flood and post-flood. PAD's director Wilfred Topno told that the organization was formed in 2001 with objectives to assist the socially and economically downtrodden communities. Now, he told, the organization had been continuing a climate

Wetlands have saved Australia $27 billion in storm damage over the past five decades Shutterstock Obadiah Mulder , USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Ida Kubiszewski , Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Australia is in the midst of tropical cyclone season. As we write, a cyclone is forming off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, and earlier in the week Queenslanders were bracing for a cyclone in the state’s far north (which thankfully, didn’t hit). Australia has always experienced cyclones. But here and around the world, climate change means the cyclone threat is growing – and so too is the potential damage bill. Disadvantaged populations are often most at risk. Our recent research shows 54 cyclones struck Australia in the 50 years between 1967 and 2016, causing about A$3 billion in damage. We found the damages would have totalled approximately A$30 billion, if not for coastal wetl