Mountain hazard susceptibility and livelihood security in the upper catchment area of the river Beas, Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background: Natural hazards have had significant impacts on life, livelihood and property in the mountain regions. Hazards identification in high mountain areas involved intensive and lengthy fieldwork and mapping with the interpretation of landforms and its related hazards, compulsion of increasing intensity of land-use and careless application of technology leading to further land degradation. Frequent occurrences of hazards such as landslides, snow avalanche, floods and other types of mass wasting are becoming common features in mountainous regions. Results: Himalayan watershed has undergone a most dynamic change in land-use owing to the rapid increase in the population. The change in biophysical systems posed the direct bearing on the hydrological regime of Beas River. The peoples' perceptions regarding origin of hazards and techniques of control to the hazards showed that indigenous and lowland communities are more susceptible to hazards. Deforestation, slope cutting, construction of roads and heavy rainfall were high responsible factors resulting frequent landslides and soil erosion. Hazards cannot be avoided, however their disastrous pursuits can be lessened through pro-active uses of a variety of planning measures, infrastructure and risk transfer mechanism. Afforestation, embankment, better drainage techniques on slope, check on urban sprawl, and ecotourism are effective techniques to offset the local hazards and livelihood vulnerabilities.Conclusion: Owing to the typical geomorphic setting such as high relief variations, thick forest cover, presence of glacier and glacial lakes along the higher reaches, the Beas River is prone to cloudbursts, flash floods, forest fires, landslides and mass movement. The sustainable livelihood of Beas River may best be bestowed by enhanced landuses aided by technologies of bio-engineering, denaturalization of degraded mountain geosystem and resilience for changes.

Outburst susceptibility assessment of moraine‐dammed lakes in Western Himalaya using an analytic hierarchy process

“…A total of 36 cloudburst events have been recorded in Himachal Pradesh from 1990 to 2014, of which only one has occurred in the study area. The probability of extreme rainfall or cloudburst in the study area is 1 in 12 years and is categorised as a low-risk area (Prasad et al, 2016). For seismic activity impact assessment, the past earthquake data and an Indian Seismic Zone map as per IS 1893 (2002) are used (Figure 8).…”

Spatio-temporal analysis of land use/land cover change through overlay technique in Kinnaur district of Himachal pradesh, Western Himalaya

“…The changing pattern of development and uneven extent of growth at an alarming rate in the mountainous region give this study more critical. Due to variation in temperature and extreme weather condition, it becomes essential to have a sustainable model of development and growth (Prasad et al 2016). For this purpose, the study of LULC is to gain more attention in research fraternity.…”

Flood risk assessment and mapping in Abidjan district using multi-criteria analysis (AHP) model and geoinformation techniques, (cote d’ivoire)

“…While the primary cause of flooding is excessive rainfall (Kim and Kim, 2014), there are many other causes resulting from human activities such as: land degradation; deforestation of catchment areas; sprawl and increased population density along riverbanks (Prasad et al 2016;Billi et al 2015;Mbow et al 2008;Forkuo, 2013), poor land use planning, zoning, and control of flood plain development; inadequate drainage, particularly in cities, and inadequate management of discharges from river reservoirs.…”