Tamil Nadu government forms ‘One Health’ panel to address impacts of climate change on public health

Tamil Nadu forms committee to address climate change health challenges with 'One Health' approach, including top experts and officials.

In a bid to make Tamil Nadu more climate resilient through the ‘One Health’ approach, the State Government has constituted a 23-member committee to promote a comprehensive response to the public health challenges posed by climate change.

A Government Order issued by P. Senthil Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Departments of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, stated that the effects of climate change, combined with land use and lifestyle changes, may lead to the emergence of various diseases affecting both humans and animals.

As per the Order, the State has decided to constitute the ‘One Health and Climate Change Strategic Committee’ with the Chief Secretary to the Tamil Nadu Government as the Chairperson and the Principal Secretary to Departments of Environment, Climate Change and Forests as the Convenor.

Members include top officials from Departments such as Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Municipal Administration and Water Supply, Housing and Urban Development, Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

Experts including Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, and formerly chief scientist of World Health Organization; G. Sundarrajan, coordinator, Poovulagin Nanbargal; Kalpana Balakrishnan, Director, ICMR Centre for Advanced Research on Air Quality, Climate and Health; Ananya Ghoshal, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist, UNICEF Office for Tamil Nadu and Kerala are also part of the panel.

The Committee will be responsible for mapping of existing surveillance programmes across sectors, having access to information on climate-mediated diseases and disease trigger mechanisms to develop preventive actions and control systems, and constituting subgroups to conduct vulnerability and risk analysis of critical ecosystems.