Uttarakhand Disaster and Land Use Policy Changes

The state of Uttarakhand is located in the middle portion of the Himalayan mountain range that is prone to a number of hazards. It falls in major pilgrimage circuit of India and, besides Hindu holy townships of Haridwar and Rishikesh, houses Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri shrines of Hindus, Hemkund Sahib and Reetha Sahib of Sikhs, and Kaliyar Sharif of Muslims. The state at the same time has a number of tourist destinations and flourishing adventure sports industry. Together, these attract people in large numbers. Land use/land cover changes around the areas of Nainital that witnessed high tourist pressure were thus studied. Unplanned constructions, encroachments, and blockade of surface drainage are observed to pose a serious threat to the stability of the hill slopes in Nainital. Land use/land cover change studies can help in better developmental planning and in keeping identified vulnerable areas, particularly in the proximity of rivers and in the recharge zone of water bodies, free from human intervention. These would at the same time help in better monitoring of the developmental initiatives.