Shimla, Jan 15 (PTI) Pesticides and insecticides used in agriculture are the biggest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions and natural farming can solve this problem, a senior official said on Monday.

Speaking at an event to mark the 150th foundation day of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here, additional chief secretary in the Himachal Pradesh government Onkar Sharma said natural farming reduces the cost of production by 80 to 90 per cent while water consumption is reduced by 30 per cent.

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He also stressed the adoption of a rainwater harvesting system for water conservation.

Negating old and traditional practices of farming could cause problems, he said, adding that a mix of traditional practices and scientific knowledge is the need of the hour.

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Weather predictions are significant for the agriculture, aviation, tourism and transport sectors, Sharma said.

Timely weather predictions by the Met department, like the red alert it issued in July last year, helped in saving lives as men and machinery were pre-positioned at vulnerable places, he added.

More than 550 people and over 12,000 cattle were killed in rain-related incidents during the monsoon season last year. Around 3,500 houses were completely damaged while about 16,000 houses were partially damaged, he said.

Stressing the need to plan for unforeseen disaster, he said that Himachal falls in seismic zones 4 and 5 and a magnitude 6 or 7 tremor could spell doom in the overcrowded settlements of Shimla and Sanjauli.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)