International Journal of Earth Sciences Knowledge and Applications

Yazarlar: Sushil KHANDURİ

Konular:Yerbilimleri, Ortak Disiplinler

Anahtar Kelimeler:Flash floods,Debris flows,Rock falls/slides,Possible Causes,Land Use,Central Himalaya,Traditional knowledge

Özet: Although, the cloudburst occurs in the monsoon season but it may also happen in the pre-monsoon showers in Himalayan mountainous region of Uttarakhand sate. Every year, this causes massive loss of life, property, infrastructure, agricultural lands and other facilities. The earlier disasters show that the growing outbreak of rains and its associated flash floods, debris flows and landslides are important reasons for damages and destructions. It is not yet possible to find out, when and in which area the same events will be occurred, particularly in Uttarakhand region. Change in climate due to Global warming is the major concern for these extreme events. However, it's a topic of detailed research to assess impact of climate change on extreme rainfall pattern. Being a geo-dynamically active young Himalayan belt, here the rocks are highly faulted, folded, jointed and fractured resulting in an excessive amount of mass movements and environmental degradations. So, inherent geology, deep regolith cover and high relief difference are more common in the area and the same increases the vulnerability. In addition, human interventions in terms of construction of houses in instable mountainous slopes, over deep regolith and concentration of the streams/rivulets is enlarged the devastating potential of the disaster. It is very important to know the risk of the area to reduce the impact of the disaster. For this, it is important to know the history of previous disastrous events and take a lesson from them and plan ahead. Keeping all these things in mind, all known cloudburst events and their adverse impacts upon inhabitants of the area has been attempted to be compiled in the present study. Additionally, better land use practices also described in the same by an example. This will be help in further research to prevention, mitigation and disaster risk reduction in near future.

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