Working on framework for hill cities amid growing disaster risks, govt tells LS
The government told Lok Sabha that climate change had increased the intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall events in the region
The Indian government is developing a new planning framework for the rapidly expanding cities in the Himalayan region, addressing the growing threat of disasters due to climate change and human activity, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. In response to a question about whether climate change and unscientific construction were among the factors contributing to the uptick in cloudburst incidents and other disasters in Himachal Pradesh, the government acknowledged that anthropogenic factors also played a role in increasing disaster risk.
The country's public policy think tank, NITI Aayog, is spearheading the effort to create a planning framework for hill cities. On July 13, NITI Aayog and the North Eastern Council convened a consultation to discuss the Hill City Regions Planning Initiative for Sustainable Urban Development in the Indian Himalayan Region. The proposed strategy would encompass ecological carrying capacity, climate resilience, sustainable infrastructure, governance, and financing.
Calls for a more integrated Himalayan planning approach have been mounting. In June, the CP Kukreja Foundation for Design Excellence released a framework, highlighting the need for a shift from planning mountains in isolated fragments to a more holistic approach, noting that mountains function as interconnected systems. According to the foundation's framework, a single road project could have cascading effects on slope stability, drainage, rivers, forests, settlement expansion, and disaster vulnerability.
The foundation argued that many Himalayan disasters should no longer be viewed as isolated natural events but rather as manifestations of cumulative planning failures, such as destabilized slopes, inadequate drainage, rampant cutting and construction in high-risk zones. The foundation proposed scientific carrying-capacity assessments for Himalayan towns and tourism corridors, factoring in population size, tourism impact, water availability, waste generation, traffic congestion, and ecological stress.
These assessments would serve as a basis for development approvals calibrated to predefined limits. Furthermore, the foundation advocated for multi-hazard zoning, which would integrate the risks of landslides, seismic vulnerability, flooding, erosion, and hydrological instability into infrastructure and settlement planning decisions.
Ultimately, the broader objective of this initiative is to transition from reactive disaster response to predictive resilience, embracing continuous monitoring of slopes, drainage, and infrastructure post-construction.
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