Flood-proof Himalayas

Spatial planning, nature-based solutions can make cities in Hindu Kush Himalaya climate-resilient

- KABIR UDDIN, GILLIAN SUMMERS

THE INDIAN Himalayas grappled with cataclysmic floods this August. Unrelenting downpours propelled by an erratic climate pushed many towns in Himachal Pradesh into a maelstrom of inundation. News reports suggest that the state alone lost more than 150 human lives and incurred damages spiralling to an estimated US $120 million.

Similar destruction has been reported by several towns across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), which is spread over eight countries. In 2023, a rainless July was followed by destructive floods in August in Bangladesh's low-lying district of Bandarban in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The floods submerged approximately 80 per cent of Bandarban's municipal expanse under 4.56 m of water. The flood's primary catalyst was an extraordinary 268 mm of rain within 24 hours. The unplanned construction on the riverbank aggravated the disaster by reducing river navigability and obstructing water flow. The resultant catastrophe underscores a sobering reality: the simultaneous affliction of diminished river capacity and a compromised drainage system, culminating in an inefficient channelling of excess water.

For HKH cities to become resilient, it is crucial for local governments to enforce strict town planning, with the use of spatial land-use planning approaches and associated information technologies for climate change adaptation.