The impact on disaster governance of the intersection of environmental hazards, border conflict and disaster responses in Ladakh, India

Abstract

The Impact on Disaster Governance of the Intersection of Environmental Hazards, BorderConflict and Disaster Responses in Ladakh, India. AbstractThe Indian border region of Ladakh, in Jammu and Kashmir State, has a sensitive Himalayan ecosystem and has experienced natural hazards and disasters of varying scales over the decades. Ladakh is also situated on a fault-line of multiple tensions, including ongoing border disagreements and intermittent conflict with China and Pakistan. The Indian army has thus become a permanent fixture in the region. This paper examines the implications of the intersection of these environmental and security factors for disaster governance in the region. Using Social Domains theory, the paper argues first, that a hazard-centred paradigm of 'universal' disaster science emerges from the colonial period, which has continued to dominate disaster management in the region today. Secondly, it argues that, as the border military complex expanded significantly in Ladakh from independence in 1947 and the region faced a number of conflicts, disaster governance has been additionally shaped by national security priorities. The paper then examines the impacts of that hazard-centred, military-led disaster governance for the population of Ladakh. These include: a relieforientated disaster management approach, reduced civil society presence and capacity in 2 the region, and limited local ownership of disaster risk reduction activities. This case study provides important insight into why disaster risk reduction has been slow or absent in conflict zones.

Waiting for the flood: technocratic time and impending disaster in the Himalayas

“…Recent studies have examined disaster management in the region: Field and Kelman (2018) describe how disaster governance in Ladakh is based on a top‐down approach that marginalises local knowledge, whereas Suri (2018) identifies the need for improved communication of information on natural disasters in the region and for increased government action on disaster risk reduction. This paper contributes to a growing body of work on disasters in Ladakh and the Himalayas by generating ethnographic insights into how state approaches to anticipated disasters intersect with the prevailing sensibilities of populations, potentially contributing to their vulnerability to natural hazards.…”

The (im)possibilities of disaster risk reduction in the context of high-intensity conflict: the case of Afghanistan

“…government, civil society, and private actors) at different levels (e.g. national, regional, and local) in its social, economic, and political dimensions (Field and Kelman, 2018;Hilhorst et al, 2019;Tierney, 2012;UNISDR, 2017).…”

Caught between Paper Plans and Kashmir Politics: Disaster Governance in Ladakh, India

“…As noted in the introduction, academic work using the concept of disaster governance as a lens to explore the multi-centred nature of decision-making around disasters has grown significantly in the last decade (Lassa, 2010(Lassa, , 2011Tierney, 2012;Walch, 2018), including in India (Field & Kelman, 2018;Pal & Shaw, 2018;Pramanik, 2017;Rautela, 2018). The need to acknowledge complexity in authority and decision making in disasters is also reflected in global policy through the Sendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR) 2015-2030, Priority 2: "Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance to Manage Disaster Risk" (UNDRR, 2015).…”

“…Since then, Ladakh's officials and civil society have sought to learn from mistakes (DDMP consultations, July 8, 2019; Petterson et al, 2020). Unlike in the case of Odisha, however, Ladakh continues to struggle to improve disaster preparedness and risk reduction (Field & Kelman, 2018;Le Masson, 2015). One aspect of this, as scholars have effectively highlighted elsewhere (Dame, Schmidt, Müller, & Nüsser, 2019;Le Masson, 2015), is the continued expansion of the region's tourism sector and infrastructure that does not meet DRR standards.…”

“…This conflict has resulted in a highly militarised army and police presence in Kashmir Valley, and the long Himalayan stretch of the border between India and Pakistan (and India and China) is closed. In addition to wars with Pakistan, India also fought-and lost-a war against China in 1962 and has experienced several border confrontations and incursions since then (Field & Kelman, 2018), with the most serious occurring at the time of writing, beginning May 2020. Since 1962, Ladakh has had a permanent stationing of the Indian army across the region, and Ladakhi relations with the Indian army are broadly positive (Field & Kelman, 2018)-a direct contrast with Kashmir, whose residents largely see the military as an occupying force (Venugopal & Yasir, 2017).…”