Kohima, March 26 MLA Achumbemo Kikon of the ruling NPF expressed concern over the growing impact of climate change and environmental degradation, and called for urgent and sustained action to protect Nagaland's ecology and livelihoods on Thursday.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Assembly, Kikon, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Environment and Climate Change, said that climate change has emerged as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, largely driven by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.
He noted that rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, melting ice caps, and biodiversity loss are already having widespread consequences.
Referring to the country, he said that climate change has intensified floods, droughts, and other disasters, while air pollution continues to pose serious health risks, especially to children.
Focusing on Nagaland, Kikon warned that the state is witnessing increasing vulnerability due to rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and more frequent extreme weather events.
He highlighted that traditional jhum cultivation, which supports a large section of rural households, is under stress due to shortened fallow cycles, soil degradation, and crop failures, threatening food security and livelihoods.
He also pointed to environmental degradation across the state, including drying rivers, streams, and natural springs, deforestation in hill areas, and loss of biodiversity.
In urban areas, he said, indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste and sewage into streams has led to severe pollution, with downstream impacts visible in water bodies like the Doyang reservoir in Wokha district.
Kikon raised concern over the deteriorating condition of major rivers such as Dhansiri and Chathe in Dimapur due to sewage discharge, construction debris, and extraction activities, affecting water quality and aquatic life.
He further flagged air pollution in Kohima and Dimapur, which have been identified as non-attainment cities, and highlighted unregulated rat-hole coal mining in several districts that has caused significant land degradation, water contamination, and livelihood loss.
Calling for immediate and coordinated measures, Kikon stressed the need for afforestation, protection of water sources, scientific management of jhum cultivation, proper waste disposal systems, and stricter regulation of mining and construction activities.
He also advocated restricting borewells in hill areas to preserve natural springs and enhancing community participation in environmental conservation.