Dehradun, 15 Oct: A new report titled “Enhancing Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Resilient Settlement in the Himalayan Region” was released at a stakeholder consultation held in Dehradun today calling for an Integrated Himalayan Action Plan combining a multi-hazard early warning system and strict land-use regulation to reduce the growing impact of climate change in the region.
The report, unveiled in the presence of Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal and Padma Bhushan awardee Dr Anil P Joshi, underscores that the Himalaya stands at a critical juncture where climate change and unregulated human activity are converging to create unprecedented disaster risk. It advocates for replacing fragmented disaster management with a comprehensive, community-based, and technologically enabled multi-hazard framework.
Prepared by a team of experts working on Himalayan resilience, the analysis warns that accelerated glacial retreat, extreme rainfall, and cloudbursts, coupled with unplanned construction in high-risk zones, are drastically increasing exposure and vulnerability across Himalayan states, particularly in Uttarakhand.
Addressing the gathering, Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal emphasised on the vital role of forests in carbon sequestration and climate regulation. He observed that the glacier reserves have declined by nearly 70 percent. There must be a balance between afforestation, deforestation, and development. He also stressed on the need for community-based planning as a way forward.
Padma Shri awardee Dr Anil P Joshi lauded the report’s holistic approach and observed that resilience must be built through synergy between science, policy, and community wisdom in order to ensure a sustainable Himalayan future.
The report urges governments to adopt a Himalayan Resilience Mission, a decade-long plan beginning with dense deployment of low-cost sensors for rainfall, soil moisture, and lake monitoring, alongside mobile-based alert systems and hazard-sensitive land-use planning. It draws lessons from Japan, Switzerland, and Norway and calls for accountability to reduce preventable disaster deaths in the Himalayas to zero by 2030.
Among its core objectives are the development of a robust Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (EWS) integrating real-time climatic, hydrological, and geospatial data with community-level response mechanisms; sustainable settlement planning with regulated land use and planned relocation in hazard-prone areas; enhancement of socio-economic resilience through climate-sensitive livelihoods; behavioural adaptation to strengthen local preparedness; and nature-based solutions such as watershed management, agroforestry, and forest restoration to stabilise slopes and conserve ecosystems.
Speaking at the release, an expert involved in the study, Tomar, noted that “Monsoon trends in the Himalayas, especially Uttarakhand, have changed significantly. The last decade has been the warmest on record. Our focus is to collect quality data, improve forecasting, and ensure timely dissemination to protect life and property.”
Another participant observed that in the last 100 years there has been a decline in rainfall trends and a rise in extreme weather events. The Himalayas are fragile, and unregulated human encroachment into riverine and slope areas has worsened disasters. Rivers have not invaded human space, but it is the humans who have taken over theirs.
