About the Series This Working Paper Series is a new publication of Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), following the decision of the IRDR Scientific Committee in April 2019 to act to ‘Expand IRDR Network and Scientific Output’ (No. 5 of the IRDR Action Plan 2018-2020). IRDR is an international scientific programme under co-sponsorship of the International Science Council (ISC) and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and with support from China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Started in 2010, the Programme has been pioneering in the promoting international and interdisciplinary studies on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and has made its contributions through scientific publication and policy papers as well as dialogue toward shaping international agenda in the understanding disaster risks, bridging science and policy gaps and promoting knowledge for actions, all required in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR) and its top priorities. Over time, the scientific agenda of IRDR has attracted many international renowned expertise and institutions. IRDR community is now, institutionally speaking, characterized by its strong Scientific Committee and six thematic working groups, thirteen IRDR national committees (IRDR NCs) and one regional committee (IRDR RC), sixteen international centres of excellence (IRDR ICoEs), a group of some one hundred fifty Young Scientists (IRDR YS) and a broad partnership with national, regional and international institutions working for SFDRR. This Working Paper Series is thus specially made to facilitate the dissemination of the work of IRDR NCs, ICoEs, YS and institutions and individual experts that IRDR considers relevant to its mission and research agenda, and of important values for much broader range of audience working in DRR domains. As one will notice, all working papers in this series has anchored their relevance and contributions of their work toward SFDRR, IRDR, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement on climate change. It is the hope of the authors of the working papers and IRDR that this working paper series will not only bring new knowledge, experience and information toward disaster risk reduction, but also helped build better coherence of DRR with the mainstream agenda of UN today toward inclusive, resilient and sustainable human societies. Team of IRDR-IPO Sustainable Infrastructure Development, Risk Perception and Vulnerability Assessment in Indian Himalayan Region Mahua Mukherjee* Sangeeta Jeevan Madapala Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management (CoEDMM), IIT Roorkee, India *Corresponding Author: [email protected] Published in 2020 by Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), an interdisciplinary body of the International Science Council (ISC). © IRDR 2020 This publication is available in Open Access under the Creative Commons Attribution- Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IRDR or the ISC concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of IRDR or the ISC and do not commit the Organizations. Cover photo: Sudipta Mukherjee Design: Fang LIAN Edit: Qunli HAN, Fang Lian Printed by IRDR Printed in Beijing, China Citation of this publication: Mukherjee, M., Sangeeta, & Madapala, J.(2020). Sustainable Infrastructure Development, Risk Perception and Vulnerability Assessment in Indian Himalayan Region. IRDR Working Paper Series, 26 pages. doi: 10.24948/2020.07 Content Abstract of this Working Paper ................................................................ 1 Indications of contributions to IRDR Science Plan and UN Agendas ..................... 2 Preface ............................................................................................ 4 Main Text ......................................................................................... 5 1. Background ............................................................................. 5 2. Study Area: Survey Location and Geographical Environment .................. 7 3. Conceptual Framework .............................................................. 9 4. Effect of Infrastructure development on Vulnerability of the Study Area . 10 4.1 Demography and Development .............................................. 10 4.2 Effect of infrastructure development on geo- and hydro-meteorological hazard ................................................................................ 10 4.3 Landslide ........................................................................ 11 4.4 Cloudburst ...................................................................... 12 5. Risk Perception Mapping by Field Survey and Local Community Interview 14 5.1 Community Interviews ........................................................ 14 5.2 Analysis and discussion of the Survey ...................................... 15 5.3 Physical survey of construction practices for the contemporary highway project ............................................................................... 17 6. Recommendations .................................................................. 22 7. References ........................................................................... 23 Abstract of this Working Paper Infrastructure development is an essential component of the growth in developing economies, particularly in the hill areas. Because of inaccessibility and harsh climatic conditions, the hill areas in India offer limited livelihood options, and the level of economic activity is low. Inadequate transportation and communication links of these regions are strained often at times of heavy rains, snowfall, landslides, floods, etc. The Himalaya represents tectonically alive, densely populated, and one of the most marginalized mountain regions of the world; it has experienced rapid urban growth during the last few decades. Fast construction activities are becoming increasingly common. This is threatening the fragile ecosystem of hilly areas, causing widespread soil erosion, aquifer damage, disturbing natural drainage and stream network, fault displacement and siltation of streams. The risk-prone construction in hilly terrains is not only damaging the socioeconomic infrastructure for lives and livelihoods, but also the ambitions of sustainable development and resilient infrastructure. The green resilient highways, with ecosystem-based physical planning, executed with high standards of engineering using smart and environment- friendly materials and technologies, are appropriate options. Strategic networking with natural components for slope protection and stormwater drainage, and eco-link bridge for wild animals, insects, vegetation and water, etc. are some salient feature of ecosystem- based Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI). This Paper attempts to explore the acceptance of alternative ideas of green resilient highways from the context of community risk perception. The research team analyze vulnerability due to unsustainable infrastructure development in the Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, India. A multi-hazard profile, with a special focus on geo- hydro- meteorological disaster, is developed to analyze the vulnerability of the area towards the natural hazard. A detailed field and community-based survey are conducted to qualitatively establish a relationship between new infrastructure development (road construction) and associated risk. The Paper concludes on the optimistic note on the inclusion of BGI for such hilly terrains. 1 Indications of contributions to IRDR Science Plan and UN Agendas IRDR Sub-objectives 3.1 SFDRR targets SFDRR Target B and D SDGs and/or Climate Goals SDG Target 1.5, 6.6, 9, 11, 13 S/T Roadmap actions 1. How does this study contribute to IRDR research objectives? Most development activities, especially the construction of infrastructure, is happening at the cost of the environment. We do not yet fully understand the relationship between development and associated disaster risk, especially in the long run. Therefore, this Paper works in principle with IRDR objective (3): Reducing risks and curbing losses through knowledge-based actions, and objective (3.1): Vulnerability Assessments. The framework presented here supports a hypothesis that unscientific development at the cost of environment adds to the vulnerability of the region. The Paper attempts to highlight the importance of sustainable development. 2. How does this study contribute to SFDRR targets? The study primarily contributes to target (b): Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, by encouraging sustainable development; also the target (d): substantially reduce the disaster damage to critical infrastructure and developing resilience by 2030. Besides the study contributes to multiple Sendai Framework targets, by trying to establish the relationship between the infrastructure construction activities, unsustainable development and long term associated risks. No-new risk motto is at the centre of the study. We see the potential for developmental activities in sync with the nature for transforming development that consider a broader range of