Bhubaneswar: ‘Youth4Water India’ has urged political parties in the state contesting the general elections to commit to special rehabilitation and support programmes for the youths who are most vulnerable to climate change impacts. ‘Youth4Water India’, a campaign initiated by Water Initiatives, WaterAid India, and 68 other organisations, has released a 23-point manifesto for political parties contesting the elections. “The manifesto was prepared based on interviews and focus-group discussions involving 100 youths from Odisha coasts, especially from villages that are facing the wrath of an invading sea. It was then supported by inputs from experts.
Our experience of working with such villages for more than three decades also helped strengthen the manifesto,” WI convener Ranjan Panda said. “Odisha is one of the most highly vulnerable geographies in the world when it comes to climate change impacts and sea-level rise that could displace thousands of people from more than 300 villages. While many villages are already submerged under the sea, many more are on the verge of being taken over. Putting up a strategy to deal with such a situation has become essential. With this manifesto, we urge upon each political party to support a ‘Strategy for Inclusive Rehabilitation of Climate Displaced Communities,’ that we have already suggested to the state government for implementation,” added Panda, popularly known as Waterman of Odisha. “Besides covering a host of suggested initiatives that can help vulnerable youths, this manifesto also covers ‘water, sanitation and hygiene’ for those who choose to stay back and for the ones who choose to move,” WaterAid technical specialist Bikash Pati, who was also involved in guiding the survey, said. Dhaneswar Mallick of Astarang area who is actively involved in the survey demanded safe drinking water, safety of women, who are migrating to different places, involvement of youths in eco-restoration initiatives and provisioning local employment opportunities for youths who want to stay back in their native areas.