Vulnerability

The state Odisha is located in one of the most vulnerable region of the country, consisting of 30 districts and geographically located at the head of the Bay of Bengal, has a coast-line length of around 480 km. In addition, a number of perennial rivers such as Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Rushikulya, Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha, and their tributaries pass through Odisha. The unique geographical location adds the woes and makes the state prone to different climate hazards.
The population of the state accounts for 3.37% of the country's population (2011 census). About 80-85% of the population lives in rural areas. 33% of the state's population lives below poverty (Government of Odisha, 2014). The forests cover 37.34% of the state's geographical area and support the livelihoods of several communities. Being an agrarian state, 70% population of the state is dependent on agriculture and allied sectors. 39.69% of the state's geographical area consists of cultivated land, 60% of which is under rain-fed agriculture. The agriculture sector is the main source of the state's economy as it contributes 26% in its GSDP.
Extreme weather events like floods and droughts caused by the erratic and uneven distribution of rainfall are expected to adversely affect the crops, especially Kharif rice, which is a water-dependent main crop of the state. This, in turn, is bound to have impacts on the food security and livelihoods of the state (Odisha CCAP, 2015-2020).
The state has been experiencing erratic rainfall patterns since the 1960s with almost all districts receiving below average rainfall for most years (Odisha CCAP, 2015-2020). High-intensity rainfall of over 200-250 mm/day results into situations of floods. More than 50% of the districts of the state (18 out of 30) are under flood-prone zones. This has affected the Rabi crops as a result of reduced residual moisture.
The state is under a tropical zone with high temperature and high humidity. All the districts of the state are prone to heat stress disorders with the maximum temperature reaching above 45°C between March-June. Odisha's coastline is highly prone to climate-mediated cyclones, soil erosion, coastal floods, and storm events making it vulnerable to climate change. According to a study by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) to measure Coastal Vulnerability Index, 107 km stretch of Odisha’s coastline falls under high vulnerability range in terms of increasing sea level rise causing loss and damage to these coastal areas.
The major impacts have been on the agriculture sectors of eastern states of India. Odisha, an eastern state of India are highly vulnerable to climate change (SAPCC 2015-2020). The reason being their unique physiography, climate, and not being benefited much from the technological advance in agriculture since the 1970s.
The vulnerability of a system has been defined as the degree to which it is susceptible to or lacks the coping capacity with, the changing climate and its adverse effects on the system, including the variation in climate attributes and extreme event occurrences (IPCC, 2014). IPCC (2001) established a relationship between a system’s sensitivity due to being exposed to climatic variations, capacity to cope with such a changing climate, and vulnerability using the following equation:
Vulnerability = f ( Exposure, Sensitivity, Adaptive capacity)

Vulnerability to climate change is represented by three dimensions – sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity.
Various indicators for sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity selected for computing the vulnerability Index. Based on the vulnerability Index, the 30 districts of Odisha are classified into four categories i.e very low, low, medium and high category (CRIDA, 2013).

Districts of Odisha under different vunerability categories are mentioned below:

Very low: Cuttack and Khordha

Low: Puri, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Angul, Boudh, Sonepur, Baragarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh

Medium: Mayurbhanj, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Kandhmal, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkanagiri

High: Keonjhar, Gajapati, Nawarangpur, Balangiri, Nuapada