About
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- By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change
- By 2050s, freshwater availability in Central, South, East and South-East Asia, particularly in large river basins, is projected to decrease.
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(i) Impacts on water situation in India
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- Available records suggest that the Gangotri glacier is retreating about 28 m per year
- A serious environmental problem has also been witnessed in the Indo-Gangetic Plain Region (IGPR)_ in the past whereby different rivers (including Kosi, Ganga, Ghaghara, Son, Indus and its tributaries and Yamuna) changed their course a number of times.
- Available statistics on water demand shows that the agriculture sector is the largest consumer of water in India
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(ii) Impacts on Coastal States in India
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- The coastal states of Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat face a grave risk from the sea level rise, which could flood land (including agricultural land) and cause damage to coastal infrastructure and other property.
- Goa will be the worst hit, losing a large percentage of its total land area, including many of its famous beaches and tourist infrastructure
- The states along the coasts like Orissa will experience worse cyclones. Many species living along the coastline are also threatened.
- The coral reefs that India has in its biosphere reserves are also saline sensitive and thus the rising sea level threatens their existence too, not only the coral reefs but the phytoplankton.
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