PARTICIPATORY RISK RESILIENT PLANNING FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE HILL HABITAT

Abstract

The Indian Himalayas are one of the world's most significant and extensive mountain ecosystems. However, due to their tectonic activity, structural instability and mature nature, they are prone to multiple hazards, with huge loss of life and damage to property every year. Unrecognised practices, poor-engineering, and irresponsible development initiatives increase disaster risk and severity in the region, which turned many natural hazards into human-induced disasters. Such disasters further strain an economy already under stress, with devastating socio-economic consequences. Uttarakhand is an Indian Himalayan state located in the northern region of India. Being a Himalayan state, it experiences disasters every year with great losses. Among the most notable disasters in the state are the Uttarkashi earthquake (1991), Chamoli earthquake (1999), Malpa landslide (1998), the Himalayan tsunamis of Badrinath and Kedarnath (2013), and the recent sinking of Joshimath town (2023). Besides being in seismic zones V and IV, it is also susceptible to multiple hazards like floods, landslides, cloudbursts etc. Tourism is a major attraction in the state, and it is a popular destination for pilgrimages and leisure activities. It is estimated that over 25 million tourists visited the state in 2011, which has a population of about 10 million, despite the fact that the state faces frequent natural hazards especially during the monsoon season. While the state has abundant natural resources and tourism activities, most of its population lives on a survival level, making it vulnerable to disaster impacts and recovery. In this region, unscientific exploitation of natural resources has resulted in increased hazards and environmental degradation (Singh, 2006). For the aforementioned reasons, Uttarakhand state was chosen for this study as it desperately needs a prioritisation development decision framework for sustainable risk-resilient planning. The focus and overall aim of this study is to identify the parameters that are increasing the risk most significantly and slowing down the disaster recovery process in the Indian Himalayan Region. The Multi-hazard Risk Assessment (MHRA) component of the study will examine pre-disaster factors and the Disaster Recovery study will examine post-disaster factors. The significant parameters identified are connected with sustainable development goals and validated using a participatory approach.