Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

To strengthen the state climate change cell in Karnataka, Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the government has sanctioned a project, “Establishing/Strengthening the state climate change centre/cell under NMSKCC (State Climate Change Centre-National Mission for Strategic Knowledge on Climate Change) in the state of Karnataka” to EMPRI at a cost of Rs. 2.83 crores.

The lab was inaugurated by Forest Minister R. Shankar on July 24th. The laboratory is equipped with 35 instruments, will facilitate analysis of various parameters relating to climate change and such as soil, plants and microbiological studies.

“A change in climate seriously impacts the soil, flora and fauna and water bodies in a place. Our primary purpose is to measure this impact. We will monitor continuously monitor data over the next few decades. It will be useful for analysis of climate change,” said KH Vinay Kumar, chief conservator of forests and director.

The project started way back in October 2016. The objective of the project was ‘to establish a Karnataka strategic knowledge center for climate change (KSKCCC) with advanced research capabilities to take up research studies on climate change issues’. For long-term it planned to monitor climate change, permanent preservation plots have been established in Bannerghatta National Park, which will help ‘observe and record the changes in species diversity, composition and growth pattern owing to climate change over a period of time.’

“We will also set up a PPP in the scrub forest of Doresanipalya near our centre” added Vinay Kumar.

EMPRI had already established a water analysis laboratory and microbiology laboratory which was certified in the year 2017. These laboratories analyse 23 parameters related to water quality. The climate change laboratory ‘will strengthen the research facilities for analysis of about 40 parameters related to climate change studies’. This laboratory will also cater to the needs of other agencies to generate analytical data for research or other investigations.

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