Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries under APART Assam, India Page i Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Authors Bimal Kinkar Chand, Suresh Rajendran and Chadag Vishnumurthy Mohan Citation This publication should be cited as: Chand BK, Rajendran S and Mohan CV (2022). Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries under APART, Assam, India. Penang, Malaysia: WorldFish. Acknowledgments WorldFish wish to acknowledge the funding support received from ARIAS Society under the World Bank funded Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (APART) Project. Authors are thankful to the Department of Fisheries, Government of Assam, ICAR-CIFRI and College of Fisheries, Assam Agricultural University for their support during the study. Authors gratefully acknowledge the supports from WorldFish team as well as farmers, fishers, researchers, academicians, officials and other stakeholders who participated and offered their views during the study. Contact WorldFish Communications and Marketing Department, Jalan Batu Maung, Batu Maung, 11960 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia. Email: worldfishcenter@cgiar.org Creative Commons License Content in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits non-commercial use, including reproduction, adaptation and distribution of the publication provided the original work is properly cited. © 2022 WorldFish. Photo credits Dr. Bimal Kinkar Chand Funded by mailto:worldfishcenter@cgiar.org Page ii Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries under APART Assam, India Page iii Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Contents Sl. No. Contents Page Acknowledgements iii Abbreviations and Acronyms xiii-xvi Executive Summary 1-8 Chapter 1 Introduction 9-21 1.1 Background 10 1.2 Objectives of the Study 13 1.3 Methodology 14 1.3.1 Desk research 14 1.3.2 Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) survey 15 1.3.3 Key Informant Interview (KII) 15 1.3.4 Focus Group Discussion (FGD) 15 1.3.5 Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) 16 1.4 Study Area and Sample Size 17 1.5 Survey Questionnaires 19 1.6 Collation of Information 20 1.7 Report submission 21 Chapter 2 Context-Climate Change Trends & Fisheries in Assam 22-59 2.1 Climate Change trends and associated risks in Assam 23 2.1.1 Geophysical Features of Assam 23 2.1.2 Climate of Assam 24 2.1.3 Observed changes in Climate & Climatic Events of Assam 25 2.1.3.1 Rainfall Pattern of Assam 26 2.1.3.2 Flood Hazards in Assam 29 2.1.3.3 Climate Projections for Assam 31 2.1.3.4 Land Erosion & Accretion 35 2.1.3.5 Wind and Cyclone 35 2.1.3.6 Groundwater 36 2.2 Fisheries Activities in Assam 38 2.2.1 Fishery Resources of Assam 38 2.2.2 Trends in Fish and Seed Production 39 Page iv Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 2.2.3 Categorization of districts in Assam based on Fish and Fish Seed Production 42 2.2.4 Fish Consumption in Assam 44 2.2.5 Major Schemes implemented in Assam during last five years 45 2.2.5.1 Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) 45 2.2.5.2 Ghare Ghare Pukhuri Ghare Ghare Maach (GGPGGM) scheme 46 2.2.5.3 Chief Minister’s Samagra Grammya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY) 46 2.2.5.4 Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) 46 2.2.5.5 Rastriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY) 47 2.2.5.6 State Own Priority Development Fund (SOPD) 47 2.2.6 SDGs relevant to Fisheries Sector in Assam 48 2.2.7 Aquaculture in Assam 49 2.2.8 Strategies for Aquaculture Development in Assam 50 2.2.8.1 Species Diversification 50 2.2.8.2 System Diversification 51 2.2.8.3 Feed-based Aquaculture 51 2.2.8.4 Genetic Upgradation and Quality Seed Production 52 2.2.8.5 Health Management and Disease Surveillance 52 2.2.8.6 Invasive and Alien Species 52 2.2.8.7 Bio-safety and Bio-security 53 2.2.8.8 Gender Issues in Aquaculture 53 2.2.9 Beel Fisheries in Assam 53 2.2.9.1 Stakeholders associated with Beels of Assam 55 2.2.9.2 Management of Beels 56 Chapter 3 Climate Change Impact on Aquatic Food Production System of Assam 60-70 3.1 Assessing Vulnerability to Climate change 61 Chapter 4 Analysis of Survey Data & Results 71-113 4.1 KAP Survey Results 72 4.1.1 Socioeconomic Profile of Farmers 72 4.1.2 Prevailing Aquaculture Practices 75 4.1.3 Farmers’ Perceptions on Changing Climate 78 4.1.4 Impacts of Climate Induced Events on Aquaculture 80 Page v Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 4.1.5 Coping Measures Adopted by Farmers 82 4.2 KII Survey Results 83-98 4.3 PRA for Local Level Adaptation Plan 99 4.3.1 Constituents of PRA Team 99 4.3.2 Transect analysis of village 100 4.3.3 Land Use Map of the Village 100 4.3.4 Timeline 103 4.3.5 Trends and Changes 103 4.3.6 Resource Flow Map 105 4.3.7 Mobility Map 105 4.3.8 Gender Analysis 106 4.3.9 Matrix Ranking 108 4.3.10 Seasonality 108 4.3.11 Problems Identification 109 4.3.12 Voices from the community 111 Chapter 5 Evaluation of Fishery Technologies implemented by APART 114-138 5.1.1 Short Duration Fish Culture 115 5.1.2 Overwintering of Seed (Production of Stunted Yearling) 117 5.1.3 Paddy-Fish Integrated Farming System 119 5.1.4 Polyculture of carps in pond 120 5.1.5 Multiple Stocking and Multiple Harvesting of Carps 122 5.1.6 Polyculture of Carps along with Mola and other Small Indigenous Species (SIS) 123 5.1.7 Polyculture of Carps and Freshwater Prawn 125 5.1.8 Cage culture in Beels for raising fingerling and table fish 127 5.1.9 Production improvement in Beel through fish stock enhancement 129 5.2 In-depth Study on Paddy-Fish Farming System prevailing in Assam 131 5.2.1 Climate Resilient features of Paddy-fish culture 133 5.2.2 Grass Carp in Rice-fish integration 136 5.2.3 Mola-SIS promotion in Rice-Fish Integration 137 5.2.4 Seed Rearing Promotion in Rice-Fish Integration 138 Page vi Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Chapter 6 Case Studies 139-160 6.1 Paddy-Fish Integrated Farming: Turning a Problem into Opportunity through land shaping 140 6.2 Carp Polyculture with Freshwater Prawn: Boosting Farm Income through High-value 147 6.3 Carp Polyculture with Mola: Promoting Nutrition- Smart Farming through Self-Recruiting Species 152 6.4 Short Duration Fish Farming using stunted yearlings: Reducing flood-induced Risks and Reaping Profits 157 Chapter 7 Mapping of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) 161-173 7.1 ITK in Climate Change Adaptation 162 7.2 Establishment of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for ITKs 170 Chapter 8 Addressing Gaps in Adoption of Technology 174-180 Chapter 9 Integrating Value Chain with Climate Resilience 181-201 9.1 Fish Value Chain 182 9.2 Climate-Smart Business Opportunities 191 9.2.1 Implementation Modalities 193 9.3 Nutrition-Smart Aquatic Food System 195 9.4 Gender Dimension in Climate Change Vulnerability 197 9.5 Gender Analysis in Fish Value Chain 198 Chapter 10 Climate Resilient Strategies for Aquaculture & Fisheries 203-214 10.1 Developing Climate Information Services (CIS) 205 10.2 Coping measures against Flooding 209 Chapter 11 Conclusion 215-219 References 220-224 Annexures 225-263 Page vii Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries List of Tables Table No. Particulars Page 1.1 Sequential Steps involved in the Study 14 1.2 Details of attributes and tools/methods used in PRA 16 1.3 District-wise distribution of respondents 17 1.4 Broad area covered in questionnaire-based survey 19 2.1 Season-wise Trends of Change in Temperature and Rainfall in Assam over a 60-year period (1951-2010) 25 2.2 Month-wise Trends of Change in Temperature and Rainfall in Assam over a 60-year period (1951-2010) 25 2.3 List of Twenty-four stations considered to investigate the trends in rainfall in Assam 27 2.4 Trends of Number of Rainy Day and 24 Hr Maximum Rainfall across Assam 28 2.5 Projected Changes in the Climate of Assam 32 2.6 Flood Hazard Areas of Assam 33 2.7 Extent of Flood Hazard in Assam (1998-2007) 33 2.8 Salient Features of Groundwater Resources of Assam 37 2.9 Fish and Fish Seed Production of Assam in comparison to India 39 2.10 Analysis of Fish Production, Demand-Supply and External Trade in Assam 41 2.11 District-wise Fish and Fish Seed Production of Assam in 2020-21 41 2.12 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and relevant areas in Aquatic Food Production System of Assam 48 2.13 Categorization of Fishponds and their ownership in Assam 50 2.14 Categorization of Wetlands of Assam based on Management Regimes 56 2.15 Domain-wise Climate Resilient Strategies for Beels of Assam 58 3.1 Overall Impact of Climate Change on Aquatic Food Production System of Assam 64 3.2 Vulnerability of Culture Fishery to Climate Change in Assam 67 3.3 Vulnerability of Capture (Beel) Fishery to Climate Change in Assam 69 Page viii Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 4.1 Socio-economic Profile of the surveyed Aqua farmers 73 4.2 Aquaculture Practices of the surveyed farmers in Assam 76 4.3 Aqua-farmers’ perceptions on changing climate of Assam 78 4.4 Views of the farmers on impacts of climate induced events like flood, drought etc. on aquacultures 81 4.5 Coping measures adopted by the farmers 82 4.6 Level of agreement/disagreement to the statements 83 4.7 Climate-smart interventions proposed by Experts for small-scale aquaculture 84 4.8 Coping/Adaptation measures suggested by Experts for Farmers 86 4.9 Coping/Adaptation measures suggested by Experts for Fishers 87 4.10 Coping/Adaptation measures suggested by Experts for Hatchery Operators 88 4.11 Gaps identified by experts in the adoption of climate- resilient technologies 88 4.12 Climate Change impact viewed by Experts on Fish Value Chain 90 4.13 Climate-smart Investment Opportunity in Fisheries 91 4.14 Schemes suggested by Experts for State Level Adaptation Plan 93 4.15 Transect analysis of Bagibari village 101 4.16 Timeline of Bagibari Village 103 4.17 Depiction of trends and changes in Bagibari village 104 4.18 Gender and Age Group Involvement in Aquatic Food Production System 107 4.19 Matrix Ranking of Aquaculture Activity in Bagibari village 108 4.20 Activity Calendar and Seasonality Chart 109 5.1 Comparison between different Rice-Fish Farming practices prevailing in Assam 134 6.1 Economics of paddy-cum-fish farming as reported by the farmer 143 7.1 ITK associated with Aquatic Food Production System of Assam 164 7.2 Intellectual Property (IP) Assessment Framework for ITK 172 8.1 Gap Analysis Framework for Climate Resilient Practices and Technologies promoted under APART 176 9.1 Conceptual Framework for mapping Fish Value Chain 184 Page ix Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 9.2 Value Chain Mapping of Carp polyculture in Assam with adaptation options and suggested actions 186 9.3 Domain-wise mapping of climate resilient strategies for Beels of Assam 189 9.4 Analytical Framework on Climate-Smart business Opportunities for Assam in Aquatic Food Production System 191 9.5 ADAPT as tool in Climate Resilience Framework 194 9.6 Interventions for Nutrition-Smart Aquatic Food System 196 9.7 Gender analysis framework for Fish Value Chain in Assam 199 10.1 Framework for Climate-Responsive Management Decisions in Aquatic Food Production 207 10.2 Flood / Drought Hazard Mitigation Framework for Fishery Dept. 213 List of Boxes Box No. Particulars Page 2.1 Voice from the Ground on Flood 30 7.1 Description of Katal/Jeng Fishing 169 6.2 Description of GI tag for Pokkali Rice 170 11.1 SWAN Analysis of APART-Fishery Project 216 List of Figures Fig. No. Particulars Page 1.1 Map of Assam showing APART Fishery Districts 18 1.2 Map of Assam showing study area and sample size 19 2.1 Physiographic Division of Assam 24 2.2 Spatial distribution of all twenty-four stations considered for rainfall study in the four zones 27 2.3 Updated Flood Hazard Map of Assam (1998-2015) 30 2.4 Topographic Features and River Network of Assam 33 2.5 Expected Average Annual Population exposed to Flood Hazard in Assam 34 2.6 Total population and River Bank Erosion Vulnerability in Assam 35 Page x Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 2.7 Cyclone and Storm Tracks in Assam with affected areas and zonation 36 2.8 Graph showing steady increase in Fish Production of Assam over recent years 40 2.9 Colour gradient map of Assam showing district-wise fish production in 2020-21 43 2.10 Colour gradient map of Assam showing district-wise fish seed production in 2020-21 44 2.11 Spatial Distribution of wetlands in Assam 55 3.1 Conceptual Framework for Vulnerability Assessment in Aquatic Food Production System 62 3.2 Vulnerability mapping of Aquatic Food Production System of Assam 63 4.1 Socio-Economic Profile of the Farmers 74 4.2 Aquaculture practices of the Farmers 77 4.3 Aqua-Farmers’ perceptions on changing climate of Assam 79 4.4 Level of Agreement/Disagreement to the statements by Experts 84 4.5 Climate-Smart Interventions proposed by Experts for Small-scale Aquaculture 85 4.6 Gaps identify by Experts in the Adoption of Climate- Resilient Technologies 89 4.7 Climate Smart Investment Opportunity viewed by Expert in Fisheries (% of respondents) 92 4.8 Schemes suggested by Experts for State Level Adaptation Plan 94 4.9 Land Use Map of Bagibari Village (Drawn by villagers on chart paper) 102 4.10 Land Use Map of Bagibari Village (Drawn by villagers on floor with colour powder) 102 4.11 Resource flow map for Bagibari village 105 4.12 Mobility map for Bagibari village 106 4.13 Problem diagram with ranking in carp polyculture 110 4.14 Problem diagram with ranking in carp polyculture with Freshwater Prawn 110 9.1 Illustrative Value Chain Participants in Culture Fishery of Assam 182 9.2 Infographic on steps to build climate resilience in value chain 195 Page xi Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 10.1 Infographic on adaptation pathway for sustainable Aquatic Food Production System 205 9.2 Infographic on recommended coping measures against flooding 209 List of Annexures Annexure No. Particulars Page Annexure I KAP Survey Questionnaire - Aqua Farmer 226 Annexure II FDG Questionnaire Template- Culture Fishery 233 Annexure III FDG Questionnaire Template - Capture Fishery 240 Annexure IV FDG Questionnaire Template - Seed Production 247 Annexure V KII Survey Questionnaire 252 Annexure VI List of Farmers covered in Knowledge-Attitude- Practice (KAP) Survey 259 Annexure VII List of Experts included in Key Informant Interview (KII) 261 Annexure VIII Details of Focus Group Discussions (FGD) & Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) 263 Abbreviations and Acronyms AAU Assam Agricultural University ADAPT Analyze-Develop-Assess-Prioritize-Tackle AFDC Assam Fisheries Development Corporation APART Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project ARIAS Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Society AYUSH Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy BDC Beel Development Committee BISA Borlaug Institute for South Asia BMP Best Management Practices CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Page xii Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries CIFA Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture CIFRI Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute CIFT Central Institute of Fisheries Technology CIMMYT International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center CoF College of Fisheries CSIR Council of Scientific and Industrial Research DoF Department of Fisheries EPO European Patent Office FGD Focus Group Discussion FIG Farmer Interest Group FPC Farmer Producer Company FPG Farmer Producer Group GI Geographical Indication ICAR Indian Council of Agriculture Research IEK Indigenous Ecological Knowledge IISc Indian Institute of Science IIT Indian Institute of Technology IK Indigenous Knowledge IMC Indian Major Carp IMD India Meteorological Department IPR Intellectual Property Right IRRI International Rice Research Institute ISRO Indian Space Research Organisation ITK Indigenous Technical Knowledge KAP Knowledge-Attitude-Practice KII Key Informant Interview Page xiii Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries KVK Krishi Vigyan Kendra MFIs Microfinance Institutions MoU Memorandum of Understanding NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development NBFGR National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources NFDB National Fisheries Development Board NGO Nongovernmental Organization NIFPHATT National Institute of Fisheries Post harvest Technology and Training NRSC National Remote Sensing Centre PDO Project Development Objective PMMSY Pradhan Mantri Matsys Sampada Yojana PoP Package of Practices PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal RAS Recirculation Aquaculture System RBA Rastriya Barh Ayog (National Flood Commission) SAPCC State Action Plan on Climate Change SDGs Sustainable Development Goals SOP Standard Operating Procedure SWOT Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats TEK Traditional Ecological Knowledge TKDL Traditional Knowledge Digital Library ToR Term of References TRIPS Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Right UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization USPTO United States Patent & Trademark Office WBUAFS West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences Page xiv Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Weights and Measures °C degree Celsius BCM billion cubic meters cm centimetre crore ten million g gram ha hectare kg kilogram Km kilometre Km2 square kilometre lakh hundred thousand m meter mm millimetre MT metric tonnes (1000 kg) ppt parts per thousand Note Indian Rupees (Rs.) $ US dollar Page 1 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Executive Summary In North-East India, Assam is the largest state in population and second in terms of area. It shares about 2.4% of the country’s total geographical area and provides shelter to 2.6% population of the country. The Brahmaputra and Barrak rivers along with their tributaries and numerous flood-plain wetlands give a distinctive hydro-geomorphic feature to the region. Being blessed with huge fishery resources and having the excellent tropical climate with average annual rainfall of over 1500 mm, Assam is undoubtedly one of the most potential states in India for the development of fisheries. Fish is also the staple food of the Assamese people. Despite of the favourable geo-social environment, the development of fisheries sector in Assam has not been impressive till recent past. One of the probable reasons for this is the vulnerability of the state to the climate induced hazards like flood, erosion, drought, etc. which are adversely impacting the fishery sector of the state. In the year 2018, the state has launched World Bank assisted ‘Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART)’ with fisheries as a sub- component. Through this project, WorldFish is extending the technical support to the state with its international experience and expertise. One of the focus areas of WorldFish is climate-proofing the fishery sector of the state by developing and promoting climate-resilient technologies. The purpose is to counter the negative impacts of climate change, mainly the pond aquaculture and Beel fisheries, and to push the fish production of the state upward. The outcome of the present study would support the resilience of fisheries and aquaculture production systems in order to increase fish production and reduce the risks associated with climate change, in the targeted districts of Assam. The sequential steps followed in the study were: Desk Research → Questionnaire Development for Survey → Conducting Survey → Collation of Information → Formulation of Climate Resilient Technologies & Strategies → Report Submission. The desk research started with a critical review of published reports and statistics on the Climate of Assam, Observed Changes and Projections. In order to check the ground reality and to collect first-hand information, contact was established with the farmers, fishers, scientists, experts, extension functionaries and other stakeholders in nine districts; namely Kamrup (M), Kamrup (R), Barpeta, Nalbari, Morigaon, Nagaon, Darrang, Jorhat and Cachar. This was achieved through questionnaire-based survey, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Case Studies. Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) surveys were conducted amongst the 60 numbers of fish farmers in six districts (in-person survey - 30 Nos. and telephonic survey - 30 Nos.) using the pretested questionnaires. Key Informant Interview (KII) covered 20 numbers of well-informed stakeholders like fishery officials, researchers, academicians, experts, etc. who had first-hand information and insight on the issues pertaining to climate change and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tributary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxbow_lake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomorphic Page 2 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries its impact on fisheries. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted in three areas of activity, such as culture fishery, capture fishery and seed production. Total 12 numbers of FGD were conducted and on an average 10-15 participants took part in each FGD. In order to accomplish the study in a cohesive manner, one PRA and four case studies were included. Climate Change Trends & Fisheries in Assam There are three distinct seasons in Assam, i.e., summer, rainy, and winter. The summer season starts from the month of March and extends till the end of June. The average temperature during this time of the year is between 35 and 380C. The rainy season begins in June and often goes on till September. The average annual rainfall in the state is around 175 cm in the west and around 300 cm in the east. The winter season prevails from the month of October to the end of February. India Meteorological Department has undertaken the long-term assessment of the climate change for a 60-year period, during 1951-2010 for Assam. The analysis is based on data collected from 6 Stations for temperature and 12 Stations for rainfall. The analysis indicates that the mean temperature in the State has increased by +0.01 0C/year. There is also an increase in seasonal temperatures across seasons with pronounced warming in post monsoon and winter temperatures. The annual rainfall has also decreased by -2.96 mm/year during the same period. The flood and erosion problem in Assam is distinctively different from the other Indian states so far as extent and duration of flooding and magnitude of erosion is concerned. It is probably the most acute and unique in the country. The flood problem of the state is further aggravated due to flash floods by the rivers flowing down from states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and neighbouring country of Bhutan. The flood prone area of the state as assessed by the Rastriya Barh Ayog (RBA) is 31.05 Lakh hectares against the total area of state 78.523 Lakh hectares (39.58 % of the total land area of Assam as against the national average of 10.2 %). District level climate projections are available across Assam for the period 2021– 2050, based a model developed by UK Meteorological office. It is to be noted that such projections are only indicative in the very broadest sense of the changes with high level of uncertainties. As per the projection, temperatures continue to rise and may increase by 1.7-2.0 0C with respect to base line. Only the western part of the State will experience slight decrease in rainfall but the rest of Assam is projected to have increase in rainfall. There is likely to be increase in extreme rain fall event by 5% to 38% with respect to base line. Drought’s weeks are going to rise, with Southern districts showing marginal reduction in drought weeks but rest of the district show an increase by more than 75% with respect to base line. As per the predictions, floods are going to rise by more than 25% in the southern parts of Page 3 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Assam. The history of land erosion in Assam indicates that between the years 1912 and 1996, around 868 sq. km. of land was lost to bank erosion; averaging to about 10.3 sq. km. of area lost per year. Nevertheless, accretion, the deposition of silt which is concurrent process leading to formation of new area in the north and south banks amounted to 303.84 sq. km and 246.32 sq. km. (total 550.16 sq. km.) respectively. Almost in the entire state of Assam, the groundwater is available at low to a moderate depth. The pH value of ground water ranges from 7.5 to 9.0. All parameters pertaining to groundwater are within the permissible limit except iron, fluoride and arsenic. Fluoride is present only in deeper aquifer. The annual ground water draft in Assam is estimated to be 5.44 billion cubic meters (BCM) of which 4.85 BCM is for irrigation and 0.59 BCM is for domestic and industrial purposes. Fisheries activities in Assam Fish occupies a prominent place in the lives and livelihoods of the people of Assam and fish farming is one of the common activities in the rural areas. In Assam, fish comes from two main modes of production systems; aquaculture (farming fish in ponds and tanks) and beel fisheries (capturing fish from floodplain wetlands). Other sources like riverine fisheries, production from miscellaneous sources constitute a small portion. The current average productivity in ponds is around 1,680 kg/ha/yr., while beel fisheries produce less than 500 kg/ha/yr. Therefore, Assam Government is making all-out efforts through different schemes to augment the fish production. The positive impact is evident from the fact that in the year 2020, Assam begged four top national level awards in the fisheries sector such as best state, best district, best Govt. organisation and best farmer from Govt. of India under ‘Hilly and North Eastern’ category. In last five years (from 2016-17 to 2020- 21), the state has registered an increase of 28.4% in fish production and a spectacular 74.11% rise in seed production. Climate Change Impact on Aquatic Food Production System of Assam The climatic phenomena like rise in temperature, change in precipitation, flood, drought, etc. are affecting the aquatic food production system (both culture and capture fisheries) of Assam the most. Fish being the cold-blooded animal, its metabolic rate gets strongly affected by environmental conditions, especially the temperature. The changes in temperature have significant influence on the growth and reproductive biology of fish. The influence may be positive or negative depending on the circumstances. Extreme weather events like flood, drought can have serous negative impacts like crop loss due fish escape, mortality, etc. which have adverse economic and social impacts on the dependent communities like fish farmers and fishers. In order to minimise the negative impacts, a range of actions Page 4 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries are to be taken in form of adaptation measure to climate change. The potential impacts of different drivers of Climate Change on Aquatic Food production System of Assam were analyzed critically. Drivers such as warming of water, lowering of dissolved oxygen, changes in other hydro-graphic variables, flood, drought, depletion of ground water, high intensity weather event, heavy rain, storm, etc. were considered for their impacts on fish, production system and stakeholder. Different colour legends were assigned to the impacts depending upon their positive and negative nature. The relevant adaptation options were also worked out and categorized as short-term, medium-term and long-term measures. The vulnerability of the aquatic food production system of Assam to climate change was mapped using the conceptual framework. The vulnerabilities of culture fishery and capture fishery to different climatic threats in the context of Assam were analyzed based on the likelihood of occurrence and the consequences. These helped in determining the impact level and vulnerability status of each threat. Field Data Analysis & Results The primary data were collected from field through questionnaire-based interviews, focus group discussions and PRA. The collected data were entered in MS Office excel software and reports were generated pertaining to relevant aspects of aquaculture and the impact of climate change on aquaculture. Knowledge- Attitude-Practice (KAP) survey was conducted in six districts, namely Barpeta, Nalbari, Nagaon, Darrang, Jorhat and Cachar comprising of total 60 fish farmers, 10 farmers randomly selected from each district. The broad areas covered in KAP survey were: (i) information on aquaculture, (ii) pond management, (iii) farmers’ perceptions on climate change, (iv) impact of climate change on aquaculture, and (v) coping measures adopted by farmers. Key Informant Interview (KII) covered 20 numbers of well-informed experts like fishery officials, researchers, academicians, etc. who had first-hand information and insight on the issues pertaining to climate change and its impact on fisheries. The semi-structured questionnaire was used and smooth conversation happened among the interviewer and informant with free flow of ideas and information on the topic. KII helped to get big picture idea of the situation. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were held at 11 different locations on the topics like aqua farming, beel fishery and hatchery operation in six districts, namely Kamrup (M), Kamrup (R), Barpeta, Nalbari, Morigaon and Nagaon. For each discussion, a homogenous group of about 10-20 members involved in a particular type of activity took part in deliberation. The participants freely shared their viewpoints and perceptions on relevant issues irrespective of agreeing or Page 5 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries disagreeing to the issues. FGDs helped in capturing insights on (i) Perceptions on Climate Change and related hazards, (ii) Impact of Climate induced hazards on Aquatic food Production System, (iii) Coping / Adaptation Measures, (iv) Use of Weather Information, (v) Gender Issues, (vi) Nutrition sensitivity of Pond fishery & its vulnerability to climate change, and (vii) Indigenous Technical Knowledge - ITK used in Fisheries. The Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise was conducted at Bagibari village in Kamrup (M) district. Due to the time constraint, only one PRA exercise was conducted in the study. The sole purpose was only to demonstrate the usefulness of PRA as an effective process in strategizing the local level adaptation plan in Aquatic Food Production sector. To ensure active participation from the villagers, less writings and more of oral communication and tools of like pictures, symbols, physical objects and group memory were used. Information on changes and trends, the historical perspective on climate change and its impact on aquatic food production system of the locality were captured. The participants prepared different maps and charts about their localities and activities, namely transact map, land use map, resource flow map, mobility map, activity calendar and seasonality chart, problem diagram, matrix ranking, etc. Evaluation of Fishery Technologies implemented by APART Under APART, totally nine numbers of climate resilient technologies/ interventions are being demonstrated / implemented in 15 districts of Assam to facilitate adaptation to the impacts of climate change at the local level. These are: (1) Short Duration Fish Culture, (2) Overwintering of Seed (Stunted Yearling Production), (3) Paddy-cum-Fish Integrated Farming System, (4) Polyculture of Carps in Pond, (5) Multiple Stocking and Multiple Harvesting of Carp, (6) Carp polyculture with Mola and other SIS, (7) Polyculture of Carps and Fresh Water Prawn, (8) Cage culture in beels for fingerling & table fish, and (9) Production improvement in beels through stock enhancement. These technologies/ interventions were evaluated through the collection of field data and screening them through the lens of adaptation to climate change. Based on the type and nature of data collected, a common framework was developed to evaluate said technologies and it comprised several attributes such as (i) Key Features, (ii) Geographical Spread of Demonstration, (iii) Adaptation Hypothesis, (iv) Adaptation Benefits, (v) Production Results, (vi) Driving Forces, (vii) Restraining Forces, (viii) Actors Involved, (ix) Sustainability, (x) Replicability, (xi) Over-arching Impact (Economic, Social and Ecological), (xii) Institutional Mechanism and (xiii) Leanings. Page 6 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries ITKs in relation to Climate Resilient Practices The rural population of Assam, especially the tribal communities have rich repertoire of traditional knowledge as they have a prolonged history of survival and coping strategies for the natural calamities like flood, drought, etc. for generations. Most of the ITKs were documented during FDGs. Upon analysis, it is found that ITKs are used in different areas like fish farming, disease management, hatchery operation, fishing, local environmental management practices, etc. A comprehensive list of such ITKs is prepared. There are examples where the local populations have developed and implemented the adaptation strategies through their indigenous knowledge systems, which enabled them to reduce the climate variability. In documentation process, old and experienced farmers /fishers were given preference to initiate the discussion on various ITKs being practised in culture and capture fisheries. Gap Analysis in Climate Resilient Practices and Technology Adoption The climate resilient practices and the technologies in aquatic food production system are relatively new to the stakeholders including farmers and fishers of Assam. The wider adoption of these technologies is difficult unless the constraints and bottlenecks are addressed properly. Unavailability of critical inputs in time, lack of customization of technology to local needs, economic barriers, social issues, lack of coordination between different government agencies or different levels of government, complexity of interdisciplinary approach, etc. are some of the commonly encountered problems. Often the information provided by the extension personnel appears to lack relevance to the need of the farmers. Therefore, in the study, an attempt is made to analyse the gaps in adoption of each technology being implemented under APART. It included the identification of gaps/problems, analyzing the nature of problems and finding the ways to reduce the gaps. Integrating Fish Value Chain and Climate Resilience In order to develop the sustainable aquatic food production system, it is necessary that entire fish value chain is made climate-proof through resilient technologies and policies. With climate change threatening fishery value chains at all stages, from production to processing and marketing, understanding the associated climate risks at each stage and having the value chain approach to climate resilience will be the key to risk management. Therefore, a conceptual framework for step-by-step mapping of entire Fish Value Chain from climate resilience perspective is worked out for the field use. Further, the value chain analyses with Page 7 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries adaptation options and suggested actions are illustrated for pond aquaculture and beels fisheries in Assam. Climate-Smart Business Opportunities ‘Seeing the opportunity in the crisis’ is the philosophy for the climate-smart business activities. Climate change often brings many hidden opportunities for the individuals, agencies and entrepreneurs to innovate and invest befittingly in the challenging time. Investments in climate resilient action plans are rewarding when planned scientifically and executed judiciously in long-term prospective. In this study, an effort was made to critically examine the broad areas of aquatic food production system of Assam one by one through the lenses of business opportunity and identify the relevant climate-smart activities. Inspired by good risk management models, for climate-smart businesses, use of a risk management tool abbreviated as ADAPT (Analyze, Develop, Assess, Prioritize, and Tackle) is discussed. Nutrition-Smart Aquatic Food System The climate resilient technology should ideally address the nutrition sensitivity issues. There is no denying fact that fish is a food of excellent nutrition, providing high quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. The Small Indigenous Species (SIS) of fish are generally considered as nutrient-rich and offer big nutritional benefits, especially for women and children. The farmers, fishers and other stakeholders should be encouraged to adopt the practices that reduce the climate-induced risks and at the same time promote the sustainable production and availability of nutrition-rich foods. In the study, an attempt is made to illustrate relevant nutrition-sensitive interventions in the setting of Assam. Gender Dimensions in Climate Change Vulnerability The impact of climate change on gender is not the same for men and women as they have different abilities to adapt and innovate. Women's vulnerability to climate change stems from a number of factors like social, economic and cultural. Women have less access than men to resources such as land, credit, inputs, decision- making structure, technology, training, extension service, etc. that would enhance their capacity to adapt to climate change. Under extreme situations, in the areas experiencing food or economic insecurity due to climate change, men are more likely to migrate to urban areas to find work, while women tend to remain at their native places in poorer conditions. To have a clear understanding of the issue at Page 8 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries field level, an attempt is made to develop an exhaustive gender analysis framework for fish value chain in the context of Assam. Climate Resilient Strategies for Aquaculture & Fisheries Upon critical analysis of prevailing situations, it is evident that the strategies on climate change adaptation in aquatic food production system need to be built around two pillars: an ecosystem approach to the production system andthe sustainable livelihood options . In this study, after careful considerations, an adaptation pathway comprising of six steps is proposed for sustaining aquatic food production system in Assam. Since the state is prone to frequent flooding, few suggested coping measures against flooding are narrated with pictorial illustrations for easy understanding. For the Department of Fisheries, Govt. of Assam, a framework is also suggested for mitigating the hazards caused by flood and drought. Page 9 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 1 Introduction Page 10 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 1. Introduction 1.1 Background According to Global Climate Risk Index 2021, India has ranked seventh in the list of most-affected nations impacted by extreme weather events in 2019. In that year, monsoon continued for a month longer than normal in India. Flooding caused by heavy rain across 14 states including Assam led to the displacement of 1.8 million people with the economic damage estimated to the tune of US$ 10 billion (₹75,0000 million). In Assam alone, that year more than 5 million people got affected by flood in 30 districts with the estimated damage of over 0.16 million hectares of crop area which included the aquaculture ponds. Another report published in April, 2021 on ‘Climate vulnerability assessment for adaptation planning in India using a common framework’ reveals that 24 of India’s 100 districts most vulnerable to climate change are in Assam. According to this study, Assam is amongst the eight most vulnerable states of India that requires prioritisation of adaptation intervention. The study was jointly conducted by IISc-Bengaluru, IIT-Guwahati and IIT-Mandi in 2019-2020 across 29 states of India. All these statistics speak volumes about the catastrophic impacts of climate induced changes on the life and livelihood of the people India in general and Assam in particular. India being the one of the most thickly populated countries in the world (which supports 17.5% of global population only in 2.4% of the world’s landmass), is extremely vulnerable to these climatic hazards. The November 2015 report of the World Bank says that climate change could effectively negate the economic progress of India, if not tackled effectively, pushing 45 million people into extreme poverty over next 15 years. The National Environment Policy of the Government of India also identifies environmental degradation a major causal factor in enhancing and spreading poverty, particularly among the rural poor. Hence promotion of sustainable agriculture including fishery and livestock will be the key to future development in food production system of the country. It goes without saying that the sustainable food production comes with climate resilient production strategy as an indispensable component. When we talk about the food production system as a whole, it is an undeniable fact that, in future, more and more food will come from water as over two-third of the earth is covered with water. The terrestrial landmass is getting over exploited by various human activities including agriculture. Hence, the aquatic food production system will play a crucial role in meeting the global food need and more so for the populous countries like India. On the other hand, compared to land ecosystem, the aquatic ecosystem is more fragile to the climate induced changes. In fact, the aquatic resource is like a double-edged sword, if used judiciously will deliver the intended results and its reckless use will lead to grave consequences. In recent Page 11 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries decades, the fisheries sector, especially the aquaculture sub-sector, is performing very well and the trend is likely to continue for long. India currently holds the second position in total fish production, next to China. But unlike China, the increase in fish production in India will contribute more to the global fish need. This is due to the fact that India being a fish-surplus country, any increase in fish production, a considerable percentage of it will go to the global market. On the contrary, China being a fish-deficit country despite of huge production, any increase in fish production will mostly be used for domestic consumption and in real sense will contribute a little to the global fish need. Therefore, the development of aquaculture in India holds more relevance to the world. In India, fishery is in different stages of development with varied resources and potential in its constituent states. Production from capture fishery has remained stable in the last few decades. But culture fishery has witnessed significant growth in the production. Therefore, the states having more aquaculture resources are showing faster growth than the states depending more on capture fisheries. Coming to Assam, it is a land-locked state with abundant water resources and shares about 2.4% of the country’s geographical area with 2.6% population of the country. Being blessed with huge fishery resources and having the excellent tropical climate with average annual rainfall of over 1500 mm, it is undoubtedly one of the most potential states in India for the development of fisheries. Fish is also the staple food of the Assamese people. Despite of the favourable geo-social environment, the development of fisheries sector in Assam has not been impressive till recent past. In nutshell, Assam is a sleeping giant as far as the fishery resources and level of utilisation are concerned. One of the probable reasons for that is the vulnerability of the state to the climate induced hazards like flood, drought, etc. which are adversely impacting the fishery sector of the state. The geographical, geological and socio-economic characteristics of the state further aggravate the situation. But of late, the scenario in the state is gradually changing and it is changing for better. In last few years the sector has undergone considerable changes in structure and dynamics, and with an overall expansion in production, trade and consumption. In the year 2018, the state has launched World Bank assisted ‘Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART)’ with fisheries as a sub-component in it. Through this project, WorldFish is extending the technical support to the state with its international experience and expertise. One of the focus areas of WorldFish in Assam is climate-proofing the fishery sector of the state by developing and promoting climate-resilient technologies. These will counter the negative impacts of climate change in fisheries, mainly the pond aquaculture and Beel fisheries. In short to medium term, the efforts will push the fish production of the state upward and will help in transforming Assam from a fish-deficit state to fish-surplus one. In long term, it will support the sustainable aquaculture and small-scale fisheries in the state. Page 12 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries When we analyse the climate change pattern in Assam, the climatic phenomena like rise in temperature, change in precipitation, flood, drought, etc. become prominent and these are affecting the aquaculture and fisheries of Assam the most. The rationale behind is the physiology of fish. Being the cold-blooded aquatic animal, metabolic rate of fish is strongly affected by environmental conditions, especially the temperature. The changes in temperature can have significant influence on the growth and reproductive biology of fish. The influence may be positive or negative depending on the circumstances. Extreme weather events like flood, drought can have serious negative impacts like crop loss due to fish escape, mortality, etc. which will have adverse economic and social impacts on the dependent communities like fish farmers and fishers. In order to minimise the negative impacts, a range of actions are taken / planned in the form of adaptation measures to climate change. The adaptation is the process of adjusting to change (both experienced and expected) with a long-term vision. The mitigation measure may be the other option which tends to lower or remove greenhouse gas emissions from atmosphere and thereby reducing the climate change naturally. Therefore, adaptation and mitigation are two sides of the same coin and must go hand in hand. But it may not be always possible or practical to identify the actions that are both adaptive and mitigating in nature. It is pertinent to mention that, under the APART project some climate resilient interventions such as short duration fish farming, overwintering of seed, multiple stocking and multiple harvesting, hotel size fish production, paddy-fish integration, etc. have been introduced as adaption strategies to climate change in different districts of Assam. These interventions are at different stages of implementation. At this juncture, it is prudent to assess the field-level performance of these interventions to have course-corrections, if needed. Because, ‘one-size-fits- all’ approach should be avoided in state-level adaptation plans and the adaptation strategies should accommodate the local-level adjustments for better outcome. It will not be out of place to mention here that some novelty aspects like value-chain approach, gender-sensitive measures, nutrition-smart practices, etc. when included in adaptation strategy, they make it comprehensive. The value chain approach helps in analysing the climate change impact on entire series of activities starting from the fish production system till it reaches the consumer. In Assam, a large number of rural women depend on climate-sensitive resources for survival and their livelihoods. In some places, more women are engaged in farming due to extensive male migration (seasonal or permanent) and in these places the adaptation plans must be targeted for women. The nutrition-sensitive practices like paddy-fish farming, integrated fish-vegetable farming, inclusion of self- recruiting small indigenous fish species in polyculture system, etc. should also find place in adaptation strategies. The relevance lies in increasing the availability, Page 13 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries accessibility and consumption of nutrient-rich fish by producers and poor consumers, with particular emphasis on women and children. 1.2 Objectives of the Study Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) is a World Bank assisted project being implemented in Assam state of India by Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services (ARIAS) Society. WorldFish is providing technical support in the implementation of the project's fisheries sub-component. Developing and promoting the climate-resilient technologies in support of sustainable aquaculture and small-scale fisheries is one of the broad objectives of the fisheries sub-component. The proposed study would support resilience of fisheries and aquaculture production systems in order to increase fish production and minimize/reduce risks associated with climate change, in the targeted districts. The specific objectives of the study are:  Mapping the existing climate resilient technologies being practiced by fish farmers in pond/tank and beel fisheries in the state of Assam with reference to the project development objective (PDO) of APART  Mapping of the existing fish farming technologies being implemented with special reference to the Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK), its applicability and adoption  Addressing the gaps in the adoption of technology of intensive farming practices, their mitigation and technology upgradation strategy  Scoping the application/adoption of climate resilient fish farming, processing, trading/ marketing practices by fish value chain players in the state of Assam 1.3 Methodology Based on the Terms of References (ToR) of the study, following steps were followed in sequential order to accomplish the study in a cohesive manner. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used for the study. Table:1.1 Sequential Steps involved in the Study Steps Description Process involved Step 1 Desk Research Critical review of published reports and statistics Page 14 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Step 2 Questionnaire Development for Survey Knowledge-Attitudes-Practices (KAP) Survey, Key Informant Interview (KII), Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Case Study Step 3 Conducting Survey Field survey to collect primary data and to sense the ground reality Step 4 Collation of Information Collation of data and information gathered through desk research and field survey, use of information for decision-making and drawing strategies Step 5 Formulation of Climate Resilient Technologies & Strategies With the help of data and his professional judgement, the consultant spelt out suitable technologies and formulated appropriate strategies Step 6 Submission of Draft Report The compiled information, results, strategy plan and key findings on Climate Resilient Technologies & Strategies submitted as Draft Report for comments and feedbacks Step 7 Submission of Final Report Based on the comments and feedbacks received, the draft report was modified and submitted to WorldFish as final report 1.3.1 Desk Research The desk research started with a critical review of published reports and statistics on the Climate of Assam, Observed Changes and Projections. The literatures pertaining to potential impacts of climate change on culture and capture fisheries of Assam were reviewed in detail. Following documents were referred extensively for information, interpretations and inferences.  State Level Climate Change Trends in India (1951-2010)  Revised Assam State Action Plan for Climate Change with Monitoring and Evaluation Framework-2019  Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) - Work Plan, Annual Reports & other Publications  WorldFish Research Programs- Sustainable Aquaculture, Resilient small-scale Fisheries, Climate Change impacts on fisheries and aquaculture  CGIAR Research Programs on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security  Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture- FAO Technical Paper No. 627  Plans and Programmes of State Fisheries Department, Govt. of Assam  Pradhan Mantri Matsys Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), 2020  Blue Revolution Schemes (Activities & Achievements), Govt. of India Page 15 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries  National Fisheries Policy (Draft) Whilst many information could be obtained from the desk review and secondary sources of data (reports, studies, policy and plans), in order to check the ground reality and to collect first-hand information, contact was established with the fish farmers, fishermen, scientists, experts, extension functionaries and other stakeholders. This was achieved through questionnaire-based survey, focus group discussion, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and workshop. 1.3.2 Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) Survey Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) surveys were conducted amongst the 60 numbers of fish farmers in six districts (in-person survey-30 Nos. and telephonic survey-30 Nos.) using the pretested questionnaires. The primary objective of this survey was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and prevailing practices of the stakeholders towards climate change, impact of climate change on aquaculture, prevailing coping practices, etc. The respondents for survey were selected randomly. 1.3.3 Key Informant Interview (KII) Key Informant Interview (KII) covered 20 numbers of well-informed stakeholders like fishery officials, researchers, academicians, experts, etc. who had first-hand information and insight on the issues pertaining to climate change and its impact on fisheries. The semi-structured questionnaire was used and smooth conversation happened among the interviewer and informant with free flow of ideas and information on the topic. KII helped to get big picture idea of the situation. 1.3.4 Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted in three areas of activity, such as culture fishery, capture fishery and seed production. Activity-specific FGDs were conducted for in-depth discussion and to capture the stakeholders’ views. Total 12 numbers of FGDs were conducted and on an average 10-15 participants took part in each FGD. The participants freely shared their viewpoints and perceptions on relevant issues irrespective of agreeing or disagreeing to the issues. The discussion involved dual moderators; one moderator ensured the smooth progress of the session, while another ensured the inclusion of all relevant issues. FGDs generated lots of qualitative primary data on the pertinent topics and some nuances. 1.3.5 Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) In the present study, one PRA exercise was done to demonstrate the use of PRA as an effective process in strategizing the local level adaptation plan in Aquatic Food Page 16 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Production System. PRA was structured to quickly acquire information through interaction and joint exercise on the rural life, problems and solutions with focus on climate change impacts on fisheries and aquaculture. It used wide range of tools and techniques (detailed below) for observations, group discussion, drawing maps, charts, diagrams, etc. It provided suitable platform for shared learning between the local people and WorldFish functionaries. Table 1.2 Details of attributes & tools/methods used in PRA Attributes Tools / methods used Remarks Identification of Village Discussion with APART officials One representative village was selected Understanding geographic layouts, micro-farming situation and preparation of transect map Transect walk, Village map Mapping with sketch pen on paper, modelling on the floor with colour powder Historical background of village, changes and trends Time line Participatory group discussion with elderly people Historical perspective on climate change and its impact on aquatic food production system Group discussion, Voices from the community Participatory group discussion with elderly people Preparation of village land use map, mobility map, Seasonality and farm activity calendar Mapping and modelling Mapping with sketch pen on paper, modelling on the floor, use of paper cut-out circles Preferences of fish species, practices in culture fisheries Matrix scoring and ranking By assigning scores against attributes Resource flow analysis of inputs and outputs Resource flow mapping Mapping with sketch pen on paper Problem identification in culture and capture fisheries Matrix Ranking Ranking by participants Problem cause relationship Problem cause diagram Diagram by participants Climate-resilient strategies Participatory group discussion Participants put forth the strategies, core team facilitate their involvement 1.4 Study Area and Sample Size The field survey was conducted in-person just to sense the ground reality and to collect some quantitative primary data. The service of the field level enumerators was utilized for the purpose. The survey covered few representative districts of the Page 17 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries state in consultation with Fishery Directorate of Assam & APART-WorldFish Project. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and imposition of Model Code of Conduct by Election Commission of India in Assam for Assam Legislative Assembly Election- 2021, the sample size under each respondent category was kept relatively small. There were fair number of women respondents. The filled-up questionnaires were checked before analysis for any missing data or error. Table 1.3 District-wise distribution of respondents Survey Name Respondent Category Sam- ple Size District Spread Kam- rup(M) Kam- rup(R) Bar- peta Nal- bari Mori- gaon Na- gaon Darr- ang Jor- hat Ca- char KAP Survey Aqua farmers 60 ✓10 ✓10 ✓10 ✓10 ✓10 ✓10 KII (20) CoF, Raha 7 ✓7 ICAR-CIFRI 9 ✓9 ARIAS Society/DoF 2 ✓2 NFDB 2 ✓2 FGD (11) Aqua Farmer Group 6 ✓1 ✓2 ✓1 ✓2 Hatchery Operator Group 2 ✓1 ✓1 Beel Fisher Group 3 ✓1 ✓1 ✓1 PRA Beneficiaries of APART 1 ✓1 Case Study (4) Paddy-Fish Integration 1 ✓1 Short duration Fish Farming 1 ✓1 Polyculture with Mola 1 ✓1 Polyculture with Prawn 1 ✓1 Total 97 15 1 13 15 2 21 10 10 10 Page 18 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Figure 1.1 Map of Assam showing APART Fishery Districts Figure 1.2 Map of Assam showing study area and sample size Page 19 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 1.5 Survey Questionnaires The in-depth desk research gave an insight on the areas to be focused in developing questionnaires. To capture a wider diversity of viewpoints on the subject, resource specific and stakeholder-wise questionnaires were developed. The questionnaire started with more general questions and gradually moved to greater specificity towards the end. Clear and easy-to-understand questions were asked. All these questionnaires were multi-layered and covered only the questions pertinent to specific stakeholders. The questionnaires included both open-ended and close- ended questions. The questions were framed in such a way that it would not lead a respondent to any preferred response. The broad areas covered in the questionnaires are illustrated below. Table 1.4 Broad areas covered in questionnaire-based survey Questionnaire Name Respondent Group Broad Areas Covered Enclosure of Sample Knowledge- Attitude- Practice (KAP) Survey Aqua Farmers  Information on aquaculture  Pond management  Farmers’ perceptions on Climate change  Impact of climate change on aquaculture  Coping measures adopted by farmers  ITKs in aquaculture Annexure I Key Informant Interview (KII) Researchers Academicians Experts Officials  Perceptions on Climate Change  Impact of Climate Change on Seed Production, Culture & Capture Fishery  Coping Measures for Seed Production, Culture & Capture Fishery  Adaptation Strategy for Culture & Capture Fishery  Climate Change Impact on Fish Value Chain  Climate Smart Investment Opportunity in Fisheries Annexure II Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Aqua Farmers  Perceptions on Climate Change and related hazards  Impact of Climate induced hazards on Aquatic food Production System  Coping / Adaptation Measures  Use of Weather Information  Gender Issues Annexure III Page 20 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries  Nutrition sensitivity of Pond fishery & its vulnerability to climate change  Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) used in Fisheries Beel Fishermen  Perceptions on Climate Change and related hazards  Impact of Climate induced hazards on Aquatic food Production System  Coping / Adaptation Measures  Use of Weather Information  Gender Issues  Nutrition sensitivity of Beel fishery & its vulnerability to climate change  Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) used in Fisheries Annexure IV Hatchery Operators  Information about Hatchery Operation  Perceptions on Climate Change and related hazards  Impact of climate variation on Fish Breeding & Seed Rearing  Coping / Adaptation Measures  Use of Weather Information  Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) used in Fish Breeding and seed rearing Annexure V Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) Project Beneficiaries /Villagers  Background of village, changes and trends  Historical perspective on climate change and its impact on aquatic food production system  Preparation of village map, land use map, mobility map, Seasonality in the incidences of fish diseases, farm activity calendar, etc.  Problem identification in culture and capture fisheries  Problem cause relationship  Climate-resilient strategies  Documentation of ITK 1.6 Collation of information All data and information gathered through desk research, surveys, focus group discussion and PRA were collated for meaningful interpretation and were effectively used in decision-making and drawing strategies. Standard statistical tools and Page 21 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries other tools like seasonal calendar, enterprise ranking, Problem diagram, matrix ranking, etc. were used for meaningful inference. The Consultant used his professional judgement to make appropriate assumptions and spelt these out clearly in the report in the absence of adequate data. 1.7 Report Submission The outcome of the study including the analysis, results, action plan and key findings were compiled in the form of the draft report and submitted to WorldFish for comments. Final report will be submitted after incorporating all suggestion and feedback. Page 22 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 2 Context Climate Change Trends & Fisheries in Assam Page 23 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 2. Context - Climate Change Trends & Fisheries in Assam 2.1 Climate Change trends and associated risks in Assam 2.1.1 Geophysical Features of Assam Assam, located between 21.570-29.300 N latitude and 89.460-97.300 E longitude, is the largest north eastern state of India in population and second in terms of area. Its physical landscape covers an extensive area of 78,438 sq. km and occupies about 30 per cent of the North Eastern Region of India. It is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh in the north; Nagaland and Manipur in the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh in the south; and West Bengal in the west. As evident, the state shares international boundaries with Bangladesh and Bhutan. A narrow strip of land known as Siliguri corridor connects the state to the rest of India and therefore aptly described as the gateway to the North East India. Assam shares about 2.4% of the country’s total geographical area and provides shelter to 2.6% population of the country. The Brahmaputra and Barak rivers along with their tributaries and numerous flood-plain wetlands give a distinctive hydro-geomorphic feature to the region. This greatly influences the life and livelihood of the people along with the diversity. The region receives more rainfall than most parts of India and looks green all year round. The state is well- known for its plentiful forest resources and is a home to six National Parks and nineteen Wildlife sanctuaries, the highest concentration in India. Kaziranga and Manas National Parks with high species diversity and visibility are registered as UNESCO world heritage sites. The floral diversity of the State consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems. The State is severely affected by devastating floods every year, which not only washes away valuable life and crops, but also lead to river bank erosion and drainage congestion, destroying the economy. Assam is known for its tea, petroleum resources, muga silk and bio-diversity including one- horned rhinoceros. Assam is administratively divided into 33 districts (30 districts are in Brahmaputra valley and 3 districts are in Barak valley) with 80 sub- divisions, 219 Development Blocks and 2202 Gram Panchayats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tributary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxbow_lake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomorphic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rhinoceros Page 24 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Figure 2.1 Physiographic Divisions of Assam 2.1.2 Climate of Assam Assam has the moderate climate which falls under “tropical monsoon rainfall” type, with high levels of humidity and heavy rainfall. The climatic variations are observed regionally. While the plains of Assam have tropical climate with high humidity, the hills have sub-alpine type of climate. In the plains of Assam, the maximum temperature does not go beyond 320C and in winter the plains of Assam have a minimum temperature of about 80C. There are three distinct seasons in Assam, i.e., summer, rainy, and winter. The summer season starts from the month of March and extends till the end of June. The season is characterized by extreme humidity and frequent showers. The average temperature during this time of the year is between 35 and 38C. The rainy season begins in June and often goes on till September. The average annual rainfall in the state is around 175 cm in the west and around 300 cm in the east. The winter season prevails from the month of October to the end of February. There are two other short seasons namely spring and autumn representing the transition between cold and summer seasons and that between rainy and cold seasons respectively. 2.1.3 Observed Changes in Climate & Climatic Events of Assam Page 25 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries India Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India has undertaken the long-term assessment of the climate change for a 60-year period, during 1951-2010 for each state of the country including Assam. It contains assessment of the annual, seasonal and monthly climate change trends in maximum, minimum and average temperatures, diurnal temperature range and precipitation. In Assam, the analysis is based on data collected from 6 Stations for temperature and 12 Stations for rainfall. The analysis indicates that the mean temperature in the State has increased by +0.01 -C/year. There is also an increase in seasonal temperatures across seasons with pronounced warming in post monsoon and winter temperatures. The annual rainfall has also decreased by - 2.96 mm/year during the same period. Table 2.1 Season-wise Trends of Change in Temperature and Rainfall in Assam over a 60-year period (1951-2010) Seasons Mean Max Temp (°C) Mean Min Temp (°C) Mean Temp (°C) Mean Diurnal Temp Range (°C) Rainfall (mm) Annual + 0.02* + 0.01* + 0.01* No trend 2.96 Winter + 0.01 + 0.02* + 0.01* No trend + 0.08 Summer No trend + 0.01* No trend - 0.01* - 0.56 Monsoon + 0.01* + 0.01* + 0.01* No trend 2.19 Post Monsoon + 0.02* + 0.02* + 0.02* No trend 0.75 Notes: Increasing (+) and decreasing (-) trends; significant at 95% level of significance are shown in bold and marked with * sign. Table 2.2 Month-wise Trends of Change in Temperature and Rainfall in Assam over a 60-year period (1951-2010) Months Mean Max Temp (°C) Mean Min Temp (°C) Mean Temp (°C) Mean Diurnal Temp Range (°C) Rainfall (mm) January + 0.01 + 0.01* + 0.01* - 0.01 - 0.09 February + 0.01 + 0.02* + 0.01 - 0.01 + 0.16 March No trend + 0.02* + 0.01 - 0.02* + 0.14 April - 0.02* + 0.01 - 0.01 - 0.03* + 0.75 May + 0.02* + 0.01* + 0.01* + 0.01 - 1.46* June + 0.02* + 0.01* + 0.02* + 0.01 - 1.59* July + 0.01 + 0.01* + 0.01* No trend - 0.55 August + 0.02* + 0.01* + 0.01* No trend - 0.62 September No trend + 0.01* + 0.01 No trend - 0.14 Season Page 26 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries October + 0.02* + 0.01* + 0.02* + 0.01 - 0.47 November + 0.02* + 0.02* + 0.02* No trend - 0.11 December + 0.02* + 0.02* + 0.02* No trend - 0.04 Source: Rathore et al., 2013 2.1.3.1 Rainfall Pattern of Assam The North-Eastern region of India is one of the highest rainfall receiving regions on the Earth. Assam valley being located between the Himalayas to the north and other ranges to the south and east, experiences the rain-shadow effect. On the southern slopes of the Khasi-Jaintia hills, annual rainfall is over 1000 cm, while on the north in the Brahmaputra valley it decreases to less than 200 cm (Rao, 1981). The monsoon rainfall increases from south to north and also from west to east over subtropical Assam. Pre-monsoon rains are caused mainly by the depressions moving from the west and by local convectional storms. Rainfall is quite low in the winter and post-monsoon seasons (Barthakur, 2004). Jhajharia et al. (2012) published a report in which the monthly data of rainfall and rainy days of twenty-four stations of Assam were obtained from India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune and Tocklai Tea Research Station, Jorhat. The figure and table show the spatial distribution of all the twenty-four stations in the four zones (lower Assam, middle Assam, upper Assam and southern Assam). Trends in total rainfall and rainy days are identified using the Mann-Kendall non- parametric method, which are also confirmed by the parametric approach. On monthly time scale, at least sixteen sites of Assam witnessed decreasing trends in total rainfall in June, July and December, out of which a few trends were found to be statistically significant at 5% significance level. On the other hand, seventeen and twenty-two sites witnessed increasing trends in total rainfall in September and February, but only three trends were found to be statistically significant in February. Similarly on annual and seasonal time scales, both increases and decreases in rainfall were witnessed, however most time series were statistically non-significant at 5% significance level. In case of 24 h maximum rainfall, all but two sites witnessed no trend over Assam. Rangia and Haflong witnessed significant decreasing trends in 24 h maximum rainfall. At least twenty-one sites witnessed decreasing trends in rainy days during the months of June, July and November to January, but the trends were found to be statistically significant for seven or more sites in Assam in these months. On seasonal time scales, the majority of sites in Assam witnessed decreasing trends in rainy days, but the trends were statistically significant at about half of the sites in Assam mainly in the monsoon and post- monsoon seasons. Since the observed changes in rainfall and rainy days in Assam are not encouraging as the trends witnessed for most of the sites are statistically non-significant. Page 27 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Figure 2.2 Spatial distribution of all the twenty-four stations considered for Rainfall study in Assam Table 2.3 List of twenty-four stations considered by Jhajharia et al. to investigate the trends in rainfall in Assam Sl. No. Station District Lat. (N) Long. (E) Period Region I (Lat. 260 - 280 N and Long. 890 - 920 E) – Lower Assam 1 Dhubri Dhubri 260 01’ 890 59’ 1951–2003 2 Goalpara Goalpara 260 11’ 900 38’ 1954–2003 3 Goibargaon Nalbari 260 910 1976–2003 4 Guwahati Kamrup 260 11’ 910 45’ 1951–2003 5 Rangia Kamrup 260 27’ 910 37’ 1957–2003 6 Mathungari Barpeta 260 900 1977–2003 7 Panbari Bongaigaon 260 900 1976–2003 Region II (Lat. 260–280 N and Long. 920–940 E) - Middle Assam 8 Dharmatal Marigaon 260 920 1976–2003 9 Gohpur Sonitpur 260 53’ 930 38’ 1958–1999 10 Golaghat Golaghat 260 31’ 930 59’ 1954–2003 11 Majbat Darrang 260 45’ 920 21’ 1954–2001 12 Tezpur Sonitpur 260 37’ 920 47’ 1951–2003 Page 28 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries 13 Thakurbari Sonitpur 260 48’ 920 42’ 1973–2000 Region III (Lat. 260–280 N and Long. 940–960 E) - Upper Assam 14 Digboi Tinsukia 270 24’ 950 37’ 1954–2003 15 Lilabari Lakhimpur 270 14’ 940 07’ 1954–2003 16 Margherita Tinsukia 270 18’ 950 40’ 1979–2000 17 Neamatighat Jorhat 260 940 1976–2003 18 Tocklai Jorhat 260 47’ 940 12’ 1965–2000 19 Sibsagar Sibsagar 260 59’ 940 38’ 1951–2003 Region IV (Lat. 240–260 N and Long. 920–940 E) - Southern Assam 20 Halflong N.Cachar Hills 250 10’ 930 01’ 1951–2001 21 Kheronighat Karbi Anglong 250 920 1976–2003 22 Lumding Nowgaon 250 45’ 930 11’ 1951–2003 23 Silchar Cachar 240 49’ 920 48’ 1951–2003 24 Silcoorie Cachar 240 50’ 920 48’ 1965–2000 Table 2.4 Trends of Number of Rainy Days and 24 Hr Maximum Rainfall across Assam S. N. Station District Rain Days 24 hr max rainfall Annual Winter Pre- monsoon Monsoon Post- monsoon West Assam 1 Dhubri Dhubri +0.15 +1.04 +0.10 -0.63 +0.35 -1.32 2 Goalpara Goalpara +0.03 +0.16 -0.93 -0.96 -0.19 -1.62 3 Goibargaon Nalbari +0.83 -1.03 +0.75 +0.32 -1.97 1.19 4 Guwahati Kamrup -0.42 +0.06 -0.75 -1.67 -1.67 +0.17 5 Rangia Kamrup -0.61 -1.53 +0.19 -0.96 -1.02 -2.09 6 Mathungari Barpeta -2.17 -2.53 -0.52 -2.22 -2.25 -0.75 7 Panbari Bangaigaon +0.40 -0.66 +0.24 -0.24 -1.45 +0.01 North Central Assam 8 Dahrmatala Marigaon +0.04 -0.29 -0.92 +0.72 -1.58 +0.50 9 Gohpur Sanitpur +0.34 -0.12 -0.62 -0.43 +0.29 +0.55 10 Golaghat Golaghat -1.61 -1.23 -1.30 -1.40 -2.00 -1.23 11 Majbat Darrang -2.80 -1.16 -1.52 -2.82 -1.69 -0.49 12 Tezpur Sonitpur -0.14 -0.34 -0.55 -0.43 -2.65 +0.85 Page 29 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Eastern Assam 13 Digboi Tinsukia -1.09 -1.20 -0.34 -2.15 -1.68 -0.74 14 Lilabari Lakhimpur -0.06 -0.96 +0.13 +0.54 -2.12 +0.11 15 Nimatighat Jorhat -1.15 +0.43 -0.55 -2.02 -2.53 -1.07 16 Sivasagar Sivsagar -1.37 +0.11 -0.20 -2.75 -1.44 -1.07 Southern Assam 17 Halflong N Cachar Hills -1.80 +0.77 -1.92 -2.28 -0.38 -2.03 18 Kheronighat Karbi Anglong +0.02 +1.43 -0.04 -0.68 -1.09 +0.55 19 Lumding Nowgaon -0.58 +0.72 +0.39 -2.39 -0.75 -1.75 20 Silchar Cachar -1.12 +0.28 -0.75 -2.07 +0.69 -1.57 Note: Bold numbers are statistically significant at 5% level of significance. (Source: Jhajharia et al. 2012) 2.1.3.2 Flood Hazards in Assam Assam with its vast network of rivers is prone to natural disasters like flood and erosion. The Brahmaputra and Barak River with more than 50 numbers of tributaries, causes the flood devastation in the monsoon period each year. The flood and erosion problem of Assam is singularly different from other states so far as extent and duration of flooding and magnitude of erosion is concerned. It is probably the most acute and unique in the country. The flood problem of the state is further aggravated due to flash floods by the rivers flowing down from states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and neighbouring country of Bhutan. The flood prone area of the state as assessed by the Rashtriya Barh Ayog (RBA) is 31.05 Lakh hectares against the total area of state 78.523 Lakh hectares (39.58 % of the total land area of Assam as against the national average of 10.2 %). It signifies that the flood prone area of Assam is about four times the national mark. During post- independence period, Assam faced major floods in 1954, 1962, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1988, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2012. Almost every year three to four waves of flood ravage the flood prone areas of Assam. National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO has developed the flood hazard map of using satellite images of Assam acquired during floods of last 18 years (1998- 2015). The most frequently inundated districts and villages were categorised into five hazard classes as Very High, High, Moderate, Low and Very Low, based on the frequency of inundation. Very Low category indicates the areas, which are inundated once or twice during the 10-year period. Similarly, Low indicates three Page 30 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries to four times, Moderate indicates five to six times, High indicates seven to eight times and Very High indicates nine to ten times (almost every year). Figure 2.3 Updated Flood Hazard Map of Assam-1998-2015 Box 2.1 Voice from the Ground on Flood Mr. Debeswar Deka Age: 65 yrs., Retd. Head Master, Paka mouza Adarsha High School, Golibandha, Barpeta Voice from the Ground on Flood Hello! I am Debeswar Deka, 65 years old. I am born and brought up in the Golibandha village, a food-affected area in Barpeta district of Assam. Five years back I have retired from service as Head Master of Paka mouza Adarsha High School and have wife, a son and a daughter in my family. I have 7 bigha (0.98 ha.) of agricultural land and 1 ½ bigha (0.21 ha.) fishpond. I have experienced the change of the local climate since childhood and seen the devastation caused by the floods in the Barpeta district. Changing Climate Over the years, the changes in the Climate are visible in my area. From own experience, I can say that temperature is gradually rising. We no more enjoy six seasons in a year (as mentioned in the book). We now distinctly experience only summer, rainy and winter. Summer is getting longer and winter shorter. Rain pattern is also changing and often getting erratic. Unseasonal rains and flash floods due to heavy rain in hilly areas are becoming common. Climate change leading to natural disasters, like flood and erosion, is affecting the livelihood options of people. Page 31 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Floods Devastation Despite floods being a natural phenomenon, human intervention has aggravated the problem over the years. The erection of river embankments touted as a solution, unfortunately has added to the increased devastation. Barpeta district is consistently one of the worst affected districts of Assam. Every year, the Beki, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra, inundate large areas of the district. This is not a one-day affair, but it goes for many days and in some cases many weeks. With most of the villages submerged, people rush to near-by school, bridge, road etc. with their belongings and put up the extent, often made of plastic sheets. People face problem in fetching drinking water. People use locally made rafts and boats for their movement. Villagers use flood water for cooking, drinking and bathing. This increases the risk of outbreak of water borne diseases like diarrhoea. Often the livestock like cattle, pig, goat etc. die in the flood water. But the chickens take shelter on the roof top. Vegetables gets scarce and people eat more fish during that period as availability of fish is more and price comes down. Reasons of Floods Assam and the north-eastern regions are prone to frequent earthquakes, which causes landslides. The landslides send a lot of debris in the rivers, causing river bed to rise and causing floods. Bank erosion is another destruction. Brahmaputra and its tributaries every year eat away lots of areas leaving thousands of farmers landless and homeless. It also increases the width of the river. Among the man-made reasons, the key cause of floods is release of water from dams situated uphill. Unregulated release of water floods the plains of Assam. Floods destroy Aquaculture Floods destroy fish ponds extensively. The flood water that inundates the fish ponds take away with it a variety of cultured fish from the pond, often good size fish ready for sale. Farmers try to protect their stock by encircling the fishponds with nets. It often fails to protect the stock as flood water keeps on rising. Fish farmers incur heavy financial loss. As of now, no crop insurance is available for fishery. Barpeta is a major fish producing district in Assam and in recent years, the district has not only become self-sufficient in fish seed production, but now supplying fish seed to other states also. 2.1.3.3 Climate Projections for Assam District level climate projections are available across Assam for the period 2021– 2050 and is driven by A1B scenario using regional climate model PRECIS, a model developed by the Hadley Centre, UK Meteorological office. The resolution of the model is 50km x 50km. It is to be noted that such projections are only indicative in the very broadest sense of the changes that are likely in the climate as high level of uncertainties are associated with the projections, indicating the need for further research on these aspects. Table 2.5 below shows the projected changes in various climate parameters till mid-century. Temperatures continue to rise and may increase by 1.7-2.0 C with respect to baseline. Only the western part of the State will experience slight decrease in rainfall but the rest of Assam is projected to have increase in rainfall. There is likely to be increase in extreme rain fall event by 5% to 38% with respect to baseline. Drought weeks are going to rise, with Southern Page 32 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries districts showing marginal reduction in drought weeks but rest of the district show an increase by more than 75% with respect to BL. As regards floods, they are going to rise by more than 25% in the southern parts of Assam. Table 2.5 Projected Changes in the Climate of Assam Climatic Parameters Climate Projection for 2021-2050 w.r.t. to Baseline Remarks Mean Temperature 1.7-2.0 °C All across Assam Annual Rain fall -5 to 5% North western districts 5-10 % North Eastern districts 10 – 25% Central, South-Eastern District Extreme rainfall days 5-38% Rainfall > 25 to 150 mm Drought weeks -25% to > 75% Southern districts show marginal reduction in drought weeks, but rest of the district show an increase by more than 75 % w.r.t. Baseline Floods Stream flow < 10% to > 25% Min in north east and max in southern part of the state Figure 2.4 Topographic Features and River Network of Assam Page 33 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Table 2.6 Flood Hazard Areas of Assam Severity of Hazard Flood Hazard Area (ha) % Flood Hazard (of State Geographic Area) (of total Flood Hazard Area) Very High 1,28,687 1.64 5.79 High 2,24,629 2.86 10.11 Moderate 3,51,667 4.48 15.83 Low 4,91,761 6.27 22.14 Very Low 10,24,584 13.06 46.13 Total 22,21,328 28.31 100 (Source: Flood Hazard Atlas of Assam, ISRO 2011) Table 2.7 Extent of Flood Hazard in Assam (1998-2007) Affected Area (%) No. of Districts Name of Districts 70-80% 2 Darrang and Morigaon 60-70% 1 Barpeta 50-60% 1 Lakhimpur 40-50% 5 Dhemaji, Jorhat, Nalbari, Nagaon, Sibsagar 30-40% 6 Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Golpara, Kamrup(Rural), Sonitpur 20-30% 6 Cachar, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Kamrup (Metro), Karimganj, Udalguri 10-20% 2 Kokrajhar, Tinsukia 0-10% 4 Baska, Chirang, North Cachar, Karbi Anglong (Source: Flood Hazard Atlas of Assam, ISRO 2011) Page 34 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Figure 2.5 Expected Average Annual population exposed to Flood Hazard in Assam 2.1.3.4 Land Erosion and Accretion The riverbank erosion has been a regular phenomenon in Assam. The history of land erosion in Assam indicates that between the years 1912 and 1996, around 868 sq. km. of land was lost to riverbank erosion; averaging to about 10.3 sq. km. of area lost per year. Nevertheless, accretion, the deposition of silt which is concurrent process leading to formation of new area in the north and south banks amounted to 303.84 sq. km and 246.32 sq. km. (total 550.16 sq. km.) respectively. The bank line of the Brahmaputra is consisting mostly of fine sands and silts which makes it extremely unstable. Further, the braided nature of the Brahmaputra adds unpredictability to erosion problem making it more serious. Page 35 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Figure 2.6 Total Populations and River Bank Erosion Vulnerability in Assam 2.1.3.5 Wind and Cyclone Assam being an inland state is not prone to high intensity cyclone or wind speed. But the neighbouring country Bangladesh is highly prone to cyclone/winds and Assam is situated in its north eastern direction. Due to the location aspect, some districts of Assam like Dhubri, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Chachar and Karbi Anglong are somewhat prone to cyclone/winds. Occasional cyclones do occur in western Assam and their severity is more during monsoon. Districts very close to Bangladesh are in damage zone due to close proximity of Bay of Bengal (which is a cyclone basin). In this zone wind speed can reach up to 55 m/s, can result in large scale damage. The figure below indicates the wind speed zonation of Assam along with the tracks of the recent events of cyclones recorded within the state. Page 36 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries Figure 2.7 Cyclone and Storm Tracks in Assam with affected areas and zonation 2.1.3.6 Groundwater Around 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only 3% is freshwater. The freshwater is the most precious natural resource for human, terrestrial animals and plants. Most of the freshwater is in icecaps and glaciers (69%) and groundwater (30%), while all lakes, rivers and swamps combined only account for a small fraction (0.3%) of the Earth's total freshwater reserves. Groundwater is the primary source of water for the people and the food production. Though freshwater is a renewable resource, yet the world's supply of groundwater is steadily decreasing, with depletion occurring most prominently in Asia including India. India is the largest user of groundwater in the world, using more than a quarter of the available global resources (Mukherjee, 2021). Increasing and unsustainable extraction of groundwater has resulted in significant depletion, with consequent adverse environmental impact. In India, gross per capita freshwater water availability is projected to decline from 1820 m3/yr. in 2002 to 1140 m3/yr. in 2050. Almost in the entire state of Assam, the groundwater is available at low to a moderate depth. The Directorate of Geology and Mining, Govt. of Assam has categorized the quality of ground water as safe for drinking, industrial and Page 37 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries agricultural purposes. The pH value of ground water ranges from 7.5 to 9.0. All parameters are within the permissible limit except iron, fluoride and arsenic. Fluoride is present only in deeper aquifer. The annual groundwater draft in Assam is estimated to be 5.44 billion cubic meters (BCM) of which 4.85 BCM is for irrigation and 0.59 BCM is for domestic and industrial purposes (statistics of Central Ground Water Board, Govt. of India). Table 2.8 Salient Features of Groundwater Resources of Assam A. Ground Water Availability 1 Annual Replenishable Groundwater Resource 27.23 BCM 2 Net Annual Groundwater Availability 24.89 BCM 3 Stage of Groundwater Development 22 % (lowest 2% in Cachar District and highest 56% in Bongaigaon District B. Groundwater Exploitation Level 1 Over Exploited NIL 2 Critical NIL 3 Semi-critical NIL C. Groundwater Quality Problems 1 Contaminants Districts affected (in part) 2 Fluoride (>1.5 mg/l) Goalpapra, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, 3 Iron (>1.0 mg/l) Cachar, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Goalpapra, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sibsagar, Sonitpur 4 Arsenic (>0.05 mg/l ) Dhemaji (Source: Central Ground Water Board, Govt. of India) The relationship between the changing climate variables and groundwater is more complicated and poorly understood. Groundwater resources are related to climate change through the direct interaction with surfacewater resources, such as wetlands and rivers, and indirectly through the recharge process. The effect of climate change on groundwater resources depends upon the change in the volume and distribution of groundwater recharge. Climate change does not only affect groundwater quantity, but also its quality. A number of Global Climate Models are Page 38 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries available for understanding climate and projecting climate change. There is a need to downscale these models on a basin scale and couple them with relevant hydrological models considering all components of the hydrological cycle. Output of these models such as quantification of the groundwater recharge will help in taking appropriate adaptation strategies due to the impact of climate change on groundwater. Groundwater depletion is a serious threat to the environment. Groundwater depletion commonly occurs because of the excessive pumping of water from the ground for agriculture, aquaculture and other purposes, and it does not have enough time to replenish itself. 2.2 Fisheries activities in Assam 2.2.1 Fishery Resources of Assam Being blessed with huge fishery resources and having excellent tropical climate with average annual rainfall of over 1500 mm, Assam is one of the most potential states in India for the development of fisheries. The state has vast river network of 4820 km contributed by two major river systems (Brahmaputra and Barak) with 53 tributaries. As per the estimate of 2019-20, excluding the riverine resource, the state has total fishery resources of 0.244 million ha comprising of floodplain wetlands/beels (62,659 ha), derelict water bodies/swamps/low-lying areas (98,354 ha), forest fisheries (4802 ha), reservoirs (1096 ha), and ponds & tanks (77,250 ha). 1 Despite the vast aquatic resources, Assam has not been able to produce sufficient fish to attain self-sufficiency and still import fish from other states of India. In the year 2019-20, Assam imported 20,073 metric tonnes of fish and exported 9737 metric tonnes of fish with a net deficit of 10,336 metric tonnes. Fish occupies a prominent place in the lives and livelihoods of the people of the State and fish farming is one of the common activities in the rural areas. Apart from this, capture fisheries and aquaculture provide livelihoods for thousands of rural households, who are directly or indirectly involved in the production and allied value chain activities. The current level of productivity from the ponds and beels of Assam is far below the potential productivity. The current average productivity in ponds is around 1,680 kg/ha/yr., while beel fisheries produce less than 500 kg/ha/yr. Therefore, Assam Government is making all efforts to augment the fish production of the state through horizontal and vertical expansion. The horizontal expansion is being accomplished through creation of new ponds and reclamation and renovation of existing areas for fish culture. On the other hand, in vertical expansion emphasis is on productivity enhancement through adoption of improved culture practices and better management practices. The launching of World Bank assisted ‘Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART)’ with fisheries as a sub-component in the year 2018 is a step in this direction. WorldFish is the technology partner of the project and extending the technical support Page 39 Climate Resilient Technologies/Practices to Support Pond Aquaculture and Beel Fisheries through its international experience and expertise. One of the objectives of the project is to develop and promote climate-resilient technologies in support of sustainable aquaculture and small-scale fisheries. The positive impact of APART is evident from the fact that in the year 2020, the Assam state begged four top national level awards in the fisheries sector such as best state, best district, best Govt. organisation and best farmer from Govt. of India in “Hilly and North Eastern” category. In Assam, fish comes from two main modes of production systems; aquaculture (farming fish in ponds and tanks) and Beel fisheries (capturing fish from floodplain wetlands). Other sources like riverine fisheries, production from miscellaneous sources constitu