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Picture Courtesy: INDIAN EXPRESS
The Himalayan region, ecological and strategic frontier, faces escalating disaster risks due to its fragile geology, climate change, and unchecked development.
Geological Instability
Rising at about 5 cm/year from the Indian-Eurasian plate collision, the region falls under seismic Zones IV–V, with high earthquake risk. Loose sedimentary rocks and steep slopes amplify landslides and avalanches.
Extreme Weather
Heavy monsoon rains (100+ mm/hour in cloudbursts) trigger flash floods and debris flows on steep terrain, often cascading into landslides.
Climate Change
Warming accelerates glacial melt, forming moraine-dammed lakes prone to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) (e.g., Sikkim 2023). Permafrost thaw destabilizes slopes.
Human Pressures
Deforestation, rampant infrastructure (roads, dams), and tourism-driven construction on floodplains increase erosion and flood risks.
Deforestation
Clearing forests for roads and hydropower removes soil-binding roots, increasing landslide risk in deforested areas.
Infrastructure Overload
Hydropower dams (e.g., Teesta in Sikkim) trap sediment, amplifying downstream floods when breached; tunneling destabilizes slopes (Joshimath 2023).
Unplanned Urbanization
Settlements on floodplains and debris cones (e.g., Kedarnath) face near-total destruction in flash floods; tourism-driven construction overwhelms carrying capacity.
Climate Contribution
Anthropogenic warming expands glacial lakes, with risk of outburst.
Human Toll: Disasters displace thousands (e.g., 6,000 missing in 2013 Uttarakhand); vulnerable groups like tribals and women face prolonged food insecurity.
Economic Losses: Infrastructure damage (roads, dams) costs billions; 2021 Tapovan floods destroyed two hydropower plants, killing 200. Tourism and agriculture losses deepen poverty.
Ecological Damage: Landslides strip topsoil, reducing carbon sequestration; sediment-choked rivers destroy fish habitats; warming shifts alpine ecosystems, threatening species like snow leopards.
Systemic Risks: Degraded forests and wetlands reduce natural flood buffers, increasing downstream impacts and water supply disruptions.
National framework: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Disaster Management Plan guide national and state-level Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies.
Specific guidelines: NDMA issues guidelines for Himalayan hazards like earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
Landslide program: National Landslide Risk Mitigation Programme implements projects in 15 states, including the Himalayas.
Glacial lake indexing: Central Water Commission (CWC) has finalized criteria for ranking high-risk glacial lakes.
Community training: The "Aapda Mitra Scheme" trains volunteers for disaster rescue in multi-hazard prone districts.
Generic Frameworks: NDMA’s one-size-fits-all approach lacks mountain-specific policies.
Weak Enforcement: Illegal mining and construction persist despite regulations.
Resource Shortages: Local disaster units lack training and high-altitude equipment.
Poor Coordination: Limited inter-agency (forest, disaster) and transboundary (India-Nepal-China) collaboration hinders river and glacier monitoring.
Way Forward to Build Himalayan Resilience
Enforce risk-informed land-use planning: Mandate hazard mapping and zoning for all development projects, with strict regulations for high-risk areas.
Create a Himalayan River Basin Authority: Coordinate transboundary river management and data sharing with neighboring countries.
"Build Less, Build Smart": Prioritize sustainable, local, and eco-friendly infrastructure over large-scale projects.
Develop hyper-local monitoring: Expand the network of sensors and weather stations to provide precise alerts for cloudbursts and landslides.
Intensify climate research: Use advanced technology to study glacial melt and predict Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) events.
Mainstream traditional knowledge: Integrate the indigenous wisdom of mountain communities into official disaster plans and practices.
Promote community-based DRR: Expand local volunteer programs, like the "Aapda Mitra Scheme," for preparedness and response training.
Invest in sustainable livelihoods: Diversify local economies away from mass tourism toward eco-friendly alternatives to reduce vulnerability.
Use green infrastructure: Implement bio-engineering for slope stabilization using natural materials to minimize ecological damage.
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What Lessons Can India Learn from Other Countries? Risk-informed land-use planning (Switzerland) Switzerland mandates hazard mapping and integrates risk zones into land-use planning, strictly regulating construction in high-risk areas. India must enforce strict risk-based planning for Himalayan development, moving beyond historical data to account for climate change impacts. Resilient engineering and retrofitting (Japan) Japan has a culture of strict seismic building codes and a systematic approach to retrofitting older structures, reducing earthquake-related casualties. India should strengthen enforcement of building codes in the Himalayas and establish subsidized retrofitting programs for critical infrastructure and vulnerable housing. |
Building Himalayan resilience requires mountain-specific planning, eco-friendly infrastructure, early warning systems, community preparedness, and ecosystem restoration to counter fragile geology, climate change, and unplanned development.
Source: INDIAN EXPRESS
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Disasters in the Himalayas are increasingly anthropogenic. Critically analyze. 150 words |
It is a geologically young and active seismic zone, combined with steep slopes, intense rainfall, and human activities.
A GLOF is a sudden, large-scale release of water from a glacial lake, often triggered by avalanches or landslides.
It is a post-disaster recovery strategy that focuses on making communities and infrastructure more resilient to future shocks.
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