Patna, Jun 24 (IANS): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan jointly inaugurated the two-day East India Climate Change conclave here on Sunday.

In attendance were ministers and officials from six eastern states -- Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Assam. They will discuss issues related to the impact of climate change on the region.

"The eastern part of the country is prone to disasters like floods, drought and earthquakes and climate change has increased the threat of more disasters," Harsh Vardhan said.

Nitish Kumar said climate change was posing a new challenge to Bihar's agriculture and water resources.

"We have been working to mitigate the impact of climate change in the state," the Chief Minister added.

The conclave has been organised by the Bihar Environment and Forests Department in association with the think tanks, Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) and Action on Climate.