Geoenvironmental Hazards in Himalaya: Assessment and Mapping (The Upper Beas Basin)

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Floods, landslides, rockfall, cloud burst, avalanches and other types of geo-environmental hazards are posing serious problems particularly in the marginal regions of mountain areas, where the means of mitigation and corrective measures are scarce.

Frequency and severity of local and regional hazards have already reached to a crisis due to intensive land uses and land use changes. In the reverse process of land use changes in geographic and economic trends disturb the delicate balance of the ecosystem of the mountain environment leading to increase in the gravity of risks and frequency of Hazards.

The book is endowed with academic orientation, scientific approach and planning expertise. It is helpful to Research Scholars, Geographers, Scientists, Environmentalists, Land Use Planners, Engineers in addition to the layman having interest in Environmental Studies and Mountain Development.

B.W. PANDEY (b. 1967) received his M.Phil and Ph.D. degree in Geography from Delhi School of Economics, Department of Geography, University of Delhi. He is currently lecturer of Geography, Shaheed Bhagat Singh (E) College, University of Delhi. He has to his credit 22 research papers/articles published in different Books and Journals of repute.

He has received Young Geographers Award 2000 of NAGI. He has also received host and travel grant in 1996 and 2000 from United Nations University (UNU), Tokyo and International Geographical Union (IGU). He has also received UNESCO Paris Young Scientist Financial- Grant. He has widely travelled and attended International conferences in Hong Kong, Canada, Nepal, Great Britain, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, France and Sweden.

Dr. Pandey has specialisation in Environmental Studies, Natural Re- sources Management and Disaster Management. He is at present en- gaged in completion of another book on Natural Disaster Management to be published soon.

In the Himalayan geosystem, changing relationships between man and environment have brought about irreversible changes in the ecosystem those of fast depleting forest cover, of the dismantling soil layer and the sediment laden stream of Increasing numbers of landslips, of changing glacier behaviour and increasing number of avalanches, and over flowing of river and streams. Most research efforts are directed towards analysing the changes which are often taken to be the results of increasing man and livestock numbers and resultant pressures on the ever shrinking resource base. Hence, frequent occurrences of hazards have been correlated with the above facts.

Environmental endowment of headwater region of Upper Beas Basin has not yet fully harnessed. The sustainable livelihood security of such region may best be achieved by enhanced land uses aided by technologies of bio-engineering and small scale engineering involving the renaturalisation of degraded mountain geosystem. Taking the ecosystem approach and evaluating the interactions between atmospheric, biological, physical and anthropogenic components the mitigation measures may be investigated. Local knowledge systems have a vital role to play in the Implementation of land resources management policies. Uses of Remote Sensing (IRS) data, supplemented by Geographical Information System (GIS), will enhance the techniques of hazard mitigation particularly monitoring and forecasting of hazards. Land use planning through the inculcation of hazard zone mapping may prove an effective tool for enhancement of land uses and prevention from hazards by reducing the probability of risk. The conclusion that is offered, is the suggestion that minimum human intervention should be allowed and that such fragile geoecological-cultural entities should be preserved under carrying capacity criteria consideration of the resources.

The book has been divided into ten parts. It contains the preliminary units i.e. detailed physical and cultural geographical background of the Upper Beas Basin. The hazards have been divided into three units, namely, Geomorphic Hazards. Hydrological Hazards and Hazards caused by developmental works or Anthropogenic Hazards. Spatial distributions, criticality and mechanisms of hazards have been examined with suitable techniques. To control the hazards, different types of suitable techniques applicable in the Upper Beas Basin have been elaborated. The criticality of risk and different parameters regarding mapping of different kinds of hazards have been analysed deeply. Peoples' Perceptions and their attitudes regarding different aspects of hazards have also been incorporated. The suggestions based on suitability with optimum applicability to improve the environmental sustainability and livelihood security in the valley have been elaborated with suitable examples. Finally, major findings and conclusions have been included alongwith the selected bibliography related to mountain environments, land uses, marginality, hazards and mitigation followed by a bunch of questionnaires as an appendix.

The author is grateful to Dr. R.B. Singh, Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. who has given his kind guidance and constant support in the completion of this book.

Natural hazards are sudden calamities, which involve loss of life and property to population and human occupancy. With increase in population size, urban growth, deforestation and cultivation of marginal lands the human -induced hazards have also increased manifold; lives have been lost and property destruction has taken place. Geoenvironmental hazards and risks are geologically occurring physical processes in the environment posing risks to people and calamities in the area. Poverty. population growth and environmental degradation are the main causes of vulnerability of risk in natural disaster. The hazard has varying degrees of intensity and severity. Any natural hazard becomes disaster when it comes in contact with vulnerable social settings of human population. Human settlements, structures and other economic activities increase the damages incurred by disasters. Many natural hazards are not so natural but are triggered of and aggravated by man-made environmental degradation. Increased anthropogenic use in a vulnerable area also increases exposure to risk from various hazards. The Himalaya suffers from floods, landslides, avalanches and earthquakes. These hazards pose challenge before us for their monitoring. mitigation and management. Major victims constitute the poorest human population in marginal lands frequently exposed to natural hazards. Disaster preparedness is an important step for the application of successful disaster reduction policy measures. The aim of hazard management is to reduce the losses in the event of a future occurrence of a natural hazard. Integrated approach is the key tool for effective planning and action in all parts of hazard management. Local knowledge should be integrated with existing scientific knowledge to produce more realistic, locally appropriate and more effective hazard preparedness activities.