As we prepare to release this report, India’s Himalayan region faces heavy rainfall & high alert, creating widespread panic among citizens. These geologically fragile areas frequently experience extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and cloudbursts, triggering landslides, flash floods, & land subsidence.

But why are these hazards increasing? How equipped are these communities to tackle disasters? Can traditional knowledge & technology boost their resilience? Are government risk reduction efforts yielding results?

Uttarakhand has only one town planner against the requirement of twenty six. Such a lack of trained professionals makes hill towns prone to disasters adding to fragile geography, haphazard construction and increased tourism. Despite SC’s mandate for Master Plans and carrying capacity studies, these towns still lack them. It was only after NGT’s order, that Shimla banned construction in core green areas and restricted building heights in non-core and sinking zones.