Nagaland MLA calls for urgent action on climate change, environmental protection

Expressing concern over the growing impact of climate change, Achumbemo Kikon, MLA of the Naga People's Front (NPF), on March 26 called for immediate and sustained measures to protect the environment and livelihoods in Nagaland.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Assembly, Kikon, who also chairs the Assembly Committee on Environment and Climate Change, said climate change has emerged as one of the biggest challenges globally, driven largely by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.
He noted that rising temperatures, extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation are already having widespread impacts. In India, he said, climate change has intensified floods, droughts and pollution-related health risks.
Highlighting the situation in Nagaland, Kikon said the State is experiencing increasing vulnerability due to erratic rainfall, rising temperatures and frequent extreme weather events.
He pointed out that traditional jhum cultivation is under stress due to shortened fallow cycles, soil degradation and crop failures, posing a threat to food security and rural livelihoods.
Kikon also raised concerns over environmental degradation, including drying water sources, deforestation, biodiversity loss and increasing pollution. He flagged issues such as plastic waste dumping, sewage discharge into rivers, and the deteriorating condition of water bodies like the Doyang reservoir.
The MLA further highlighted air pollution in Kohima and Dimapur, and the impact of unregulated mining activities, which have contributed to land degradation and water contamination.
Calling for coordinated action, Kikon stressed the need for afforestation, protection of water sources, scientific management of agriculture, proper waste disposal systems and stricter regulation of mining and construction activities.
He also underscored the importance of community participation in conservation efforts to address the environmental challenges facing the State.