Integrating Traditional Knowledge with GIS for Snow Avalanche Susceptibility Mapping in Kargil-Ladakh Region of Trans-Himalayan India

Akbar, Mohmad; Bhat, M. Sultan; Chanda, Arunima; Lone, Fayaz A.; Thoker, Irshad Ahmad

doi:10.1007/s41324-022-00471-4

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…AHP is a multi-criterion decision-making technique introduced by Saaty (1977) which allows subjective and objective factors to be considered in decision-making (Kumar 2016). AHP breaks complex problems into several factors and alternatives by following a stepwise procedure (Akbar et al 2022b;Costache and Tien 2020). The essential steps, as explained in detail, are as follows:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Karakoram and Hindu-Kush mountains lie to the north, the Himalayas to the south, and the vast Tibetan Plateau to the east (Shafiq et al 2016;Akbar et al 2022b). The study area is divided into three significant sub-regions: Upper Ladakh, Central Ladakh, and Lower Ladakh.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of its high-altitude location, the region experiences extreme winters and is known for heavy snowfall. The entire region remains cut off from the rest of the country due to the closure of two main highways, Zojila and Manali pass (connecting roads of Ladakh with other states), from November to May every year (Akbar et al 2022b). The Ladakh Region comprises Leh and Kargil districts with a population of around three lakhs (Plan, 2017-18).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The region's high elevation makes the winter conditions unfavorable during peak winters. The elevation classes were divided into four classes ranging from 2500 to 7000 m. The high altitude and unfavorable climatic conditions are a reason for the barren land and low vegetation in the area (Akbar et al 2022b). Similarly, the area's geomorphology confirms the presence of highly dissected mountains, bare land, snow/ glaciers, and small herbs/shrubs.…”

Section: Environmental Vulnerabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite tremendous growth in the tourist inflow and enhanced economic growth, the tourism sector is uncertain. People have seen disaster phases like wars and the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacting tourism and associated sectors (Akbar et al 2022b). The proximity to borders always poses an uncertain threat of possible conflicts emerging in the region, which could considerably impact the region's economic well-being.…”

Section: Economic Vulnerabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disaster-development interface and its impact on emerging vulnerability scenario in Ladakh region of northwestern Himalayas

et al. 2023

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The Union Territory of Ladakh, located in the northwestern Himalayan region, is highly vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic hazards like earthquakes, landslides, snow avalanches, flash floods, cloud bursts, and border conflicts. Occurrences of these disasters have significantly influenced the development and vulnerability scenario of Trans-Himalayan Ladakh. Findings reveal that despite suffering losses from natural and human-induced disasters, the region has benefited by grabbing the attention of policymakers at the national level. Consequently, long-term developments were positively impacted, reflecting infrastructural upgradation, improved transportation and communication, profoundly improving the socio-economic well-being of the people. Furthermore, post-disaster developments have managed to showcase the unique physiography and adventurous terrains of Ladakh, promoting tourism as the main economic driver in the region. The exponential growth of tourism and associated sectors have influenced the vulnerability scenario, which was quantified using the multi-criterion-based analytical hierarchical processes (AHP) method, indicating an increase in climate change-related vulnerability, followed by socio-cultural, environmental, and physical vulnerabilities. Specifically, the vulnerabilities with respect to flash floods, landslides, erratic rainfall, haphazard constructions, cultural dilution, water crisis, and changes in land use patterns have been exacerbated across the study area. The study highlights the need for effective management of these emerging vulnerabilities through proper planning to ensure long-term sustainable development goals in this environmentally fragile region.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Vulnerabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Economic Vulnerabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disaster-development interface and its impact on emerging vulnerability scenario in Ladakh region of northwestern Himalayas

et al. 2023

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Evaluating the Spatial Distribution Networks and Efficiency of Postharvest Supply Chains for the Sustainability of Vegetable Enterprise in the Valley of Kashmir, India

Akhter,

Bhat,

Bhat

et al. 2024

Agribusiness

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Vegetable enterprise in the valley of Kashmir holds tremendous significance as it ensures the nutritional requirements of the population, enhances the profitability of the farming sector, and has enormous employability potential in this predominantly agrarian economy. The present study explores the logistics of vegetable enterprises, primarily focusing on the spatial spread of market centers, their functioning, role, and efficiency of supply chains, postharvest losses, and constraints. The study used Nearest Neighbor Analysis, Location Quotient, and Rao's Sphere of Influence method to demarcate the Trade Area. It was found that there is a random distribution of vegetable markets with the Rn value of 1.12 across the region, with the largest trade area (27 sq km) in the second‐order market center at Srinagar. From the Boxall postharvest loss method, it was found that between 20% and 25% of the vegetables are lost along the entire supply chain on account of inadequate infrastructure and a lack of technology and awareness. The efficiency analysis reveals that shorter supply chains exhibit higher efficiency as compared to extended supply chains. However, despite lesser efficiency, these extended supply chains comprised of producers, preharvest contractors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers are more prevalent (51%) on account of small farm size, low income, and quantity of produce, which is validated from the results of Chi‐square and Analysis of Variance tests at the (p < 0.05) level of significance. From the constraint analysis, it was revealed that numerous intermediaries, small farm sizes, inadequate counseling and training, an improper support system, and a lack of market information are the main obstacles in this enterprise. Policy interventions for the upgradation of infrastructure, strengthening farmer's cooperative societies, easy access to finance, training, and awareness are needed for streamlining operations, reducing wastage, and improving efficiency and productivity to ensure the long‐term sustainability of this enterprise.

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Towards sustainable forest management: an examination of environmental knowledge among forest dwellers in the Kashmir Himalayas

Thoker,

Bhat,

Shah

et al. 2024

Environ Dev Sustain

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Environmental knowledge, attitude and sustainable behaviour of the people have become fundamental elements of sustainable forest management. Kashmir Himalayas is an ecologically fragile region, inhabited by various ethnic and tribal communities with low levels of education and heavy dependence on forest resource utilization. The lack of adequate environmental knowledge and appreciation of ecological values among the inhabitants has negatively affected the forest resources. The study aims to ascertain the levels of environmental knowledge and identify the factors that influence attitude and sustainable behaviour among forest dwellers. The study is based on primary data, with a sample size of 600 households, which was analyzed with the help of Weighted Average Index (WAI), and the Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM). The findings indicate that forest dwellers in the region exhibit low levels of environmental knowledge, along with a moderate attitude and moderate levels of sustainable behaviour. Environmental knowledge regarding emerging global environmental issues such as the role of forests in combating global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and ecological imbalance was found to be very low, primarily on account of low levels of education. In addition, the attitude towards wildlife conservation was noncongenial due to increasing man-animal conflicts in the region. The study reveals that education, age, and gender were key determinants influencing people's environmental knowledge, attitude, and sustainable behaviour. This study validates that knowledge, sustainable behaviour, and attitude scales could be used as premier tools for monitoring sustainable forest management initiatives in similar environments across mountainous regions.

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Integrating Traditional Knowledge with GIS for Snow Avalanche Susceptibility Mapping in Kargil-Ladakh Region of Trans-Himalayan India

Cited by 13 publications

References 39 publications

Disaster-development interface and its impact on emerging vulnerability scenario in Ladakh region of northwestern Himalayas

Disaster-development interface and its impact on emerging vulnerability scenario in Ladakh region of northwestern Himalayas

Evaluating the Spatial Distribution Networks and Efficiency of Postharvest Supply Chains for the Sustainability of Vegetable Enterprise in the Valley of Kashmir, India

Towards sustainable forest management: an examination of environmental knowledge among forest dwellers in the Kashmir Himalayas

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