A Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Disasters in the North-Himalayan Region, India

Abstract

The North-Himalayan region, which includes such states as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and some parts of the northeastern states, is vulnerable to numerous natural disasters because of the geological and climatic conditions. This is landslides, flash-flooding, earthquakes, avalanches, forest fires, which are usually worsened by climate change, growing urbanization, and unsustainable land-use. The tectonic movements of the area make the area prone to seismic hazards and the monsoon rains cause various other disasters such as landslides and floods. Examples of the challenges that have reoccurred include historical events like landslides in 1991 in Joshimath, flash floods in 1999 and the 2013 Uttarakhand floods. This paper discusses the susceptibility of such towns as Joshimath and Bhatwari with a focus on issues of slope instability and climate change in terms of their infrastructure impact. Field observations, remote sensing data, and GIS mapping were combined in order to estimate the risks of disasters and formulate superior disaster management plans including sustainable urbanization and resilience construction in the area.