Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Nov 20: Senior scientists in the Indian meteorological department have pooh-poohed the warning recently published in some media that the city will be among the first to drown due to global warming triggered by melting of glaciers. It was said that a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tool had given this prediction, which was said to be accurate. This assurance came during the talk they had with a Kannada daily about the fears deep-rooted in the minds of city dwellers due to the said warning.
The scientists point out that over 200 countries are located on the sea and ocean shores across the globe, with many of the cities and islands standing barely a feet above the surface of seas. They said that NASA has not issued any report or warning about the above phenomenon, and hence, dismiss these claims as rumours. "There is no need to become panicky. Governments will not sit idle if there is any danger," they assure.
Scientist of Bengaluru-based Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Dr C N Prabhu, and B Puttanna, former director of Indian Meteorological department and scientist, say that the city will not go under water for a minimum of 500 years from now. They say that the city is not prone to such natural disasters, duly pointing out that scientifically it has not been proved that Mangaluru faces grave danger as is being made out. "As compared to this city, Kochi and Mumbai are located at a lower altitude from the sea level. Several islands including Maldives are situated only a couple of feet above the sea level. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that Mangaluru, which is 22 metres above sea level, will be among first cities to face the risk of sinking. This is nothing but a rumour," says Prabhu. He also points out that equipment has been installed to study changes in the surface of the sea and in its depths. So he argues that scientists and governments will take sufficient precautions in advance if there is likelihood of any danger to any part of the country due to global warming.
Puttanna feels that NASA scientists would have given the name of this city by way of an example during studies on global warming. He says that the Trump administration has stopped financial assistance to the research being conducted by NASA on global warming, which is resented by some scientists there. "There has always been difference of opinion among scientists of the Scientific Committee in USA about the positive and adverse affects of global warming, and one of the teams argues that change of one or two degree Celsius in climate over a period of a decade does not need to evoke any apprehension, and based on these reports, financial support to them has been taken back. Perhaps in response, the scientists would have chosen to mention about this city as an example," he adds.
"Even if glaciers in Arctic and Antarctic polar regions melt during the next hundred years based on expected change in global warming, the sea level will rise by only 3.5 mm. As three fourths of earth is covered by sea, this is negligible increase. Mangaluru can never be at risk so easily as there many countries and islands that are resting just a few feet above sea level," Puttanna adds.