• 74.56 per cent respondents in the hilly region said sources of water had dried up

Kathmandu, June 21 Incidents of drought, outbreak of diseases and prevalence of pests have increased in the country, shows a study. The National Climate Change Impact Assessment Survey, the first of its kind study carried out in Nepal, was undertaken for six months from mid-August 2016 to mid-February 2017. It came up with the finding that climate change has impacted multiple areas, including forest, bio-diversity and health. The survey report was launched amidst a programme here today by the Central Bureau of Statistics. It was carried out among 5,060 households of high-hill region. Presenting the highlights of the survey report, Director of Central Bureau of Statistics Sushil Kumar Sharma shared the experiences of respondents who noted that the incidents of drought, landslide, avalanche, diseases and presence of pests have increased. A checklist with 100 questionnaires was used as a tool to collect data from  respondents. According to the report, some 64.05 per cent households of the sub-tropical region said that incidents of fire have increased over the time. Likewise, 70.25 per cent respondents have noted that new diseases have seen in crops while 66.09 per cent respondents said the epidemic of new pests have also increased during the past 25 years. Some 45.98 per cent respondents said that new diseases had emerged among pet animals; 18.49 per cent respondents said the disease caused by high temperature had increased and 20.67 per cent respondents said cases of water-borne diseases had gone up. More importantly, 74.56 per cent respondents in the hilly region said sources of water had completely dried up. On the occasion, Joint Secretary at National Planning Commission Tulsi Prasad Gautam, CBS Director-General Suman Raj Aryal, former Director-General Dr Rudra Suwal, Chief of Tribhuvan University Central Department of Environment Science Prof Kedar Rijal, Director of Central Bureau of Statistics Dhundi Raj Lamichhane and Gehendra Gurung of Practical Action stressed on the need to give continuity to surveys on climate change.