Climate change induced disasters and highly vulnerable infrastructure in Uttarakhand, India: current status and way forward towards resilience and long-term sustainability

Abstract

The mountain state of Uttarakhand constitutes a part of the North-western Indian Himalayan region and is inherently vulnerable to natural disasters. It is witnessing faster melting of glaciers and increased occurrences of disasters like cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, landslide/glacial lake outburst floods, rock–ice avalanches, and debris flows. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the influence of changing climate on the occurrence of natural hazards. It assesses the status of two major rapidly developing infrastructures in the state (viz., hydropower plants and transportation network) under climate variability. Detailed causative analysis of two major disaster events (in Kedarnath and Chamoli in 2013 and 2021, respectively) and associated destruction is presented to understand the vulnerability of infrastructure and communities to hazards. Based on the challenges identified, a unique two-fold framework is proposed, and recommendations are articulated for building resilient and sustainable mountain infrastructures and communities in the region.