2. FOREST FUNCTIONS FOR DISASTER MITIGATION By: Maj. Gen. Pushpendra Singh, Executive Director, DMI, Bhopal

3. KULLU DISTRICT Transition Zone- Lesser & Greater Himalayas Altitude- 1100 to 4000 m above msl. Average 2000 m. Alarming increase in mass wasting, avalanche & floods in last 2 decades

4. CLIMATE CHANGES

6. DEVELOPMENMT LANDMARKS  1980’s- Favored tourist destination Conversion of agricultural land to tourism infrastructure Clearings converted to tourism infrastructure.  1950- National Highway 21 connects to outside world Shift from subsistence agriculture To commercial horticulture/ orchards

9. LAND USE / LAND COVER

10. LANDUSE/ LANDCOVER MAP

11. 197219801999  Forest47.2%44.0%40.1%-15.0% Clearing5.2%4.2%3.0%-42.3% Settlement2.3%3.7%4.7%104.3% Agriculture41.2%44.1%48.2%17.0% River4.0% 0.0% ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN LAND USE/COVER

12. A. Release AreasB. Deposition Zones 197219801999  1972-1999 197219801999  1972-1999 Forest20.3%14.6%9.2%-54.7%Forest18.9%17.7%15.4%-18.5% Clearing3.7%5.5%7.4%100.0%Clearing5.1%7.9%8.5%66.7% Settlement3.7%9.1%6.1%64.9%Settlement2.4%3.1%7.8%225.0% Agriculture71.1%69.5%76.0%6.9%Agriculture44.9%41.5%45.1%0.4% River1.2%1.3% 8.3%River27.7%32.8%23.2%-16.2% ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN LAND USE/COVER

14. CONCLUSIONS: CASE STUDY Exponential increase in frequency of major flood events Destruction caused by comparable flood events increased. Expansion of infrastructure into geomorphologically unstable & depositional areas. Landuse changes alone exert enough force to cause increased impacts of natural hazard on peoples/property. Absence of planning? Haphazard growth particularly deforestation of sensitive release areas (55% reduction )

15. APPLICATION OF SPATIAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

16. LAND Industry Housing Infrastructure Extraction of Resources Safeguarding of Environmental Media NEED FOR SEP

17. Industry Housing Infrastructure Extraction of Resources Safeguarding of Environmental Media NEED FOR SEP LAND

18. Why Spatial Planning ?  Spatial component: All natural resources and environmental media are defined by their location. Their protection and management is thus always a site specific task.  Limited resource: The demand for land exceeds the available amount of land. Hence rational management is necessary.  Need for protection: Effective protection of natural resources and their sustainable use requires systematic management. The instrument is ecologically compatible land use planning and management. Conflicts: Demands are often conflicting. A planned approach is needed to allocate land uses that manages those conflicts in a rational manner. 

19. BASIC OBJECTIVES Ecologically compatible Land Use Planning and Management Preserve and protect sites of important and sensitive natural resources and environmental media by allowing only such land utilisation, which will not adversely affect the natural functions.   Plan and manage the rehabilitation of degraded sites in order to improve environmental quality.  Allocate land use to sites in accordance with their natural capabilities.

20. SPATIAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING PLATFORM FOR RESOLVING COMPETING DEMANDS FOR LAND FROM DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS. THE SPATIAL PLAN REPRESENTS THE SOCIAL CONSENSUS ON HOW LAND SHOULD BE USED. SERVES AS A GUIDELINE FOR DEVELOPMENT. SIMILAR TO THE STRATEGIC PLANNING CONCEPT IN THE PROPOSED PLANNING LEGISLATION FOR INDIAN SPATIAL PLANNING SYSTEM.

21. FUNCTIONS OF FORESTS IN MITIGATION OF OTHER HAZARDS

22. FOREST FUNCTIONS : MITIGATION OF NATURAL HAZARDS Protect steep slopes from surface erosion Identification of steep slopes depends on: Proximity to fracture and faults Steepness, slope aspect and morphology Geomorphology & lineament density Older landslide zones

23. Control of deposition into river bed mitigate flood occurrences Arrest of surface run off facilitates flood prevention

24. WATER RECHARGE FUNCTIONS Mapping of geology and geomorphology. Mapping of faults and fractures Configuration of drainage networks. Preparation of geological cross section Identification of weaker zones – conduits for transferring surface water into the ground. Identification of areas where forest/vegetation can influence surface water movement into the ground.

25. CONCLUSIONS APPLICATIONS OF SEP Bio diversity Air quality and climate protection Water bodies protection & flood control Noise protection Soil protection: rehab of contaminated sites Safety & risk management

26. Thank You