Paris: Expressing concern over the worst ever floods in Chennai, France on Thursday said unprecedented magnitude of the flooding confirms that time is running out and “concrete and urgent” action needs to be taken against climate disruption.
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius expressed solidarity with people affected by the heavy rains in Tamil Nadu and said, “Flooding in India's Chennai region has taken a tragic toll. I want to express France's solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy. The unprecedented magnitude of the flooding confirms yet again that we no longer have time. We must take concrete and urgent action against climate disruption.”
Union Cabinet Minister Maneka Gandhi yesterday said that India as a developing nation has been a key contributor in climate change and global warming phenomenon.
The minister for Women & Child Development said that putting the blame “always” on the West for climate change will not help.
Rescue and relief operations were in full swing in the worst flood-affected areas of Chennai and suburbs and neighbouring districts which enjoyed a welcome respite from torrential rains as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an additional Rs 1,000 crore in aid to Tamil Nadu.
Heavy rains continued to lash coastal Cuddalore district, one of the worst affected areas ever since North-East monsoon fury started early last month, and Villupuram and Kanyakumari districts and Puducherry as the death toll in the state mounted to 269.
Modi visited Chennai on Thursday to take stock of the situation arising due to the devastating floods and also took an aerial survey of the flood affected areas of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts in Tamil Nadu.
Indian environment experts attending the Paris climate change summit have already said that the rains in the city were an outcome of the ever warming planet.
“We are now experiencing the full blown impacts of climate change. The extreme rainfalls that Chennai is experiencing is a direct outcome of our ever warming planet. The global average temperature has increased by less than 1 degree. Think what will happen at 2 degree temperature increase,” Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general of Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Wednesday said.
