Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dimapur Municipal Council, Thungchanbemo Tungoe on Friday informed that Nagaland Climate Action Forum 2026 on the theme, “From Heat to Action: Rethinking Urban Resilience in Dimapur” would be organized on January 21 at Hotel Saramati.
Organized by Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) in collaboration with the District Administration, Earth Alliance Nagaland, National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), and the National Youth Climate Consortium (NYCC), this Forum is a continuation of the ‘Run for Green Dimapur’, which was held last year and has been able to mobilize public awareness and citizen participation on environmental concerns.
Addressing a press conference, Tungoe said that the Forum’s theme is being conceived in response to the growing climate-related challenges faced by urban centres, especially Dimapur, particularly rising temperature, urban flooding, pressure on infrastructure, and public health risks.
He said Dimapur, as Nagaland’s commercial and urban hub, stands at a critical juncture where climate adaptation and resilience planning can no longer be delayed.
He said that the Forum aims to bring together policymakers, urban planners, climate experts, civil society, and community stakeholders on a common platform to deliberate, share evidence-based insights, and collectively chart practical pathways for building a climate-resilient Dimapur.
Director of Earth Alliance Nagaland, Thangi Mannen warned that climate change and global warming would have the most severe impact on urban residents, particularly Dimapur.
Mannen said the last three years have been the hottest in recorded history and cautioned that the situation is only expected to worsen unless immediate and collective action is taken. She stressed that extreme weather events are no longer forecasts but lived experiences, citing that Nagaland alone recorded 48 days of extreme weather last year, marked by erratic heat, heavy rainfall and unpredictable climate patterns.
“These extreme conditions are triggering disasters such as landslides, flooding and other calamities, and the worst affected are low-income families who are already struggling to survive,” she said. Mannen expressed serious concern for children attending schools in rising temperatures, warning of increased cases of heat exhaustion and fainting, as well as the vulnerability of elderly citizens and daily wage earners who form the backbone of society.
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Highlighting the broader consequences, Mannen said climate change will significantly strain public health systems due to rising cases of heat strokes and vector-borne diseases. He added that households will be forced to spend more on healthcare, food and electricity, especially with increased dependence on air conditioning, making everyday life far more expensive in the years ahead.
Questioning whether society is prepared to bear such costs, Mannen said survival itself could become difficult for large sections of the population if corrective measures are not adopted immediately.
Sharing the background of Earth Alliance Nagaland, Mannen said the organization was formed after her retirement from government service, in collaboration with colleagues and like-minded citizens, initially focusing on plastic pollution, which she described as closely linked to climate change and global warming. She said the organization aims to work collaboratively on environmental issues that directly impact everyone.
To intensify efforts, Mannen announced the formation of the Nagaland Climate Action Forum, which would focus on awareness, dialogue and practical solutions. She said a series of discussions and sessions would be held on January 21 to explore actionable steps that individuals, communities and institutions can take to mitigate climate impacts.
Calling upon the media to act as messengers, Mannen urged journalists to spread the message that complacency is no longer an option. She acknowledged that even at the global level, international climate meetings have struggled to reach concrete solutions but said this should not deter local action.
She further stressed that decisive action, supported by a clear action plan at individual, community and government levels, is essential to safeguard Nagaland’s survival in the face of an escalating climate crisis.
Boka K Rochil, policy analyst, National Youth Climate Consortium (NYCC) said that the Forum would mark the release of a Working While Paper on Urban Heat Stress and Climate Resilience in Dimapur, developed as a part of the NYCC Fellowship.
The Forum also aims to catalyse state-society convergence and advance climate-responsive governance for frontier urban centres.
