FOREST FUNCTIONS FOR DISASTER MITIGATION

By:

Maj. Gen. Pushpendra Singh,

Executive Director, DMI, Bhopal

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

CLIMATE CHANGES

                                                                                                                          

        

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

1 2 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 4 5 5 0 7 0 8 8 9 0 9 3 9 6 9 8 9 9 2 0 0 0

2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 2 2 0 2 3 03 3 3

5 0 0

7 0 0

9 0 0

1 ,2 0 0

Y e a r (1 9 0 0 - 2 0 0 0 )

Floo

d Ev

ents

Y e a r E v e n ts

C H R O N O L O G Y O F F L O O D E V E N T S

LAND USE / LAND COVER

LANDUSE/ LANDCOVER MAP

1972 1980 1999

Forest 47.2% 44.0% 40.1% -15.0%

Clearing 5.2% 4.2% 3.0% -42.3%

Settlement 2.3% 3.7% 4.7% 104.3%

Agriculture 41.2% 44.1% 48.2% 17.0%

River 4.0% 4.0% 4.0% 0.0%

ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN LAND USE/COVER

A. Release Areas B. Deposition Zones

1972 1980 1999 1972-1999 1972 1980 1999 1972-1999

Forest 20.3% 14.6% 9.2% -54.7% Forest 18.9% 17.7% 15.4% -18.5%

Clearing 3.7% 5.5% 7.4% 100.0% Clearing 5.1% 7.9% 8.5% 66.7%

Settlement 3.7% 9.1% 6.1% 64.9% Settlement 2.4% 3.1% 7.8% 225.0%

Agriculture 71.1% 69.5% 76.0% 6.9% Agriculture 44.9% 41.5% 45.1% 0.4%

River 1.2% 1.3% 1.3% 8.3% River 27.7% 32.8% 23.2% -16.2%

ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN LAND USE/COVER

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)

APPLICATION OF SPATIAL

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

LAND

IndustryHousing

Infrastructure

Extraction of Resources

Safeguarding of Environmental Media

NEED FOR SEP

IndustryHousing

Infrastructure

Extraction of Resources

Safeguarding of Environmental

Media

NEED FOR SEP

LAND

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. Hencerational 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.

BASIC OBJECTIVESEcologically 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.

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.

FUNCTIONS OF FORESTS IN

MITIGATION OF OTHER

HAZARDS

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

• Control of deposition into river bed mitigate flood occurrences

• Arrest of surface run off facilitates flood prevention

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.

CONCLUSIONSAPPLICATIONS 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

Thank You