Assessing Impact of Geophysical Hydro-Meteorological Hazards Based on Perception Approach, Kinnaur Region, Himachal Pradesh

Disaster has been a continuous problem in the history of mankind and its effects have also been devastating. India’s geo-climatic conditions as well as its high degree of socio-economic vulnerability, makes it one of the most disaster-prone country in the world. Landslides are the most costly geo-hazard in the world, and they’re often the cause or the result of other hazards and disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, forest fires, and volcanic eruptions. It leads to an extreme disruption in the functioning of a society, causing widespread human, material and environmental loss and it exceeds the ability of the affected society to cope with its own resources. Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh has a hilly and mountainous topography which has a limited scope for human settlement and other human activity. The most common types of disaster in the region are earthquake and landslide. Apart from this, other kinds of disaster are also faced by the people of the region such as heavy rainfall, snowfall, deforestation, floods, soil erosion etc.  The present study aims at analyze the landslide vulnerability and mitigation strategies and also the role of administration and community in their preparedness. The study is based on both primary as well as secondary data. Quantitative method was used to assess the landslide induced vulnerability and risk assessment in the study area. By using science and technology, community based management makes it possible to reduce the impact of disasters like earthquake and landslide in the study area.