STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: A two-day international workshop on extreme climate events concluded at Cotton University (CU) with a collective call for deeper science-policy collaboration to address escalating hydro-meteorological risks in the Eastern Himalayan region. The workshop, titled "Extreme Events in a Changing Climate: Bridging Prediction, Risk, and Resilience in the Eastern Himalayas", was organized by the Centre for Clouds and Climate Change Research and drew climate scientists, disaster risk experts, policymakers and early-career researchers from India, Japan, Bhutan and Nepal. The event was conducted in hybrid mode, enabling participation from institutions across borders.
The inaugural session was attended by Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University Prof Nani Gopal Mahanta as Chief Guest and Chairman of the Assam Pollution Control Board Dr Arup Mishra as Guest of Honour. Vice Chancellor of Cotton University Prof Ramesh Chandra Deka formally welcomed participants, while Dr Rahul Mahanta, Director of the Centre, outlined the objectives of the workshop.
Deliberations focused on the vulnerability of the Eastern Himalayan region, encompassing Northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal and adjoining areas, which experts described as one of the most climate-sensitive mountain systems in the world. Participants examined how rising temperatures, increased atmospheric moisture, changing monsoon patterns and growing convective instability had intensified extreme rainfall, floods, landslides, lightning strikes and compound disasters.
Across six technical sessions and keynote lectures, experts reviewed advances in high-resolution climate modelling, AI-assisted hybrid forecasting, sub-seasonal and seasonal prediction, multi-hazard risk assessment and impact-based early warning systems. Discussions highlighted the need to integrate atmospheric science, hydrology, geomorphology and socio-economic vulnerability into comprehensive risk assessment frameworks.
The workshop was organized in collaboration with the Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University and the Asia Monsoon Climate Change Adaptation Network, along with institutions such as Kagawa University and the Royal University of Bhutan. The programme also received support from the Assam Pollution Control Board, while the Adani Foundation served as Sustainability Partner.
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