Achumbemo Kikon, an MLA from the Naga People’s Front, has called for immediate and coordinated action to tackle climate change in Nagaland. He highlighted rising temperatures, pollution, and environmental degradation affecting livelihoods and ecosystems.
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Key Facts
- Speaker: Achumbemo Kikon
- Party: Naga People’s Front
- Event: Zero Hour discussion in Nagaland Assembly
- Role: Chairman, Assembly Committee on Environment and Climate Change
- Key Issues: Climate change, pollution, deforestation, water scarcity
- Affected Areas: Kohima, Dimapur, Wokha
Full News Report
Raising serious environmental concerns, Achumbemo Kikon urged the Nagaland government to take immediate and coordinated action against climate change and environmental degradation. He presented these concerns during Zero Hour in the Assembly.
Kikon, who also chairs the Assembly Committee on Environment and Climate Change, described climate change as a global crisis driven largely by fossil fuel emissions. Moreover, he pointed to rising temperatures, extreme weather events, melting ice caps, and biodiversity loss as key global impacts.
Focusing on India, he highlighted the growing frequency of floods and droughts. In addition, he stressed that air pollution poses serious health risks, especially for children.
Turning to Nagaland, Kikon said the state has started experiencing higher temperatures and irregular rainfall patterns. As a result, extreme weather events have become more frequent, affecting agriculture and daily life.
He explained that these climatic shifts have disrupted traditional jhum cultivation practices. Consequently, farmers now face shorter fallow cycles, soil erosion, and declining crop yields, which threaten rural food security.
Furthermore, Kikon raised concerns about environmental degradation across the state. He noted that rivers, streams, and springs have started drying up. At the same time, deforestation in hill areas and biodiversity loss continue to increase.
He specifically mentioned pollution in the Doyang reservoir in Wokha. Similarly, he pointed out the deteriorating condition of the Dhansiri and Chathe rivers in Dimapur due to sewage discharge, waste dumping, and unregulated resource extraction.
In addition, Kikon warned about rising air pollution levels in non-attainment cities like Kohima and Dimapur. He also flagged the impact of unregulated rat-hole coal mining, which has led to land degradation, water contamination, and loss of livelihoods.
To address these challenges, Kikon proposed several measures. These include afforestation drives, protection of water sources, scientific management of jhum cultivation, and improved waste management systems. Moreover, he called for stricter regulation of mining and construction activities.
He also recommended restricting borewell usage in hill areas and encouraging community participation in environmental conservation. Therefore, he emphasised that collective action remains essential to protect Nagaland’s fragile ecosystem.
Question–Answer Section
What did Achumbemo Kikon highlight in the Assembly?
He raised concerns about climate change and environmental degradation in Nagaland.
What are the major issues identified?
Rising temperatures, irregular rainfall, pollution, deforestation, and water scarcity.
How is agriculture affected?
Climate change has disrupted jhum cultivation, causing soil erosion and reduced crop yields.
Which areas face pollution concerns?
Wokha (Doyang reservoir) and Dimapur (Dhansiri and Chathe rivers).
What solutions were proposed?
Afforestation, better waste management, stricter mining rules, and community participation.
Location Context
Nagaland, located in Northeast India, has a fragile hill ecosystem that depends heavily on forests, rivers, and traditional farming practices. Therefore, climate change and environmental degradation pose serious risks to livelihoods and biodiversity in the region.
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