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The fragile environment of the Himalayan region is prone to natural hazards, which are intensified by climate change, leading to food and livelihood insecurity for inhabitants. Therefore, building resilience in the most dominant livelihood sector, i.e., the agricultural sector, has become a priority in development and planning. To assess the perils induced by climate change on the agriculture sector in the ecologically fragile region of Kashmir Valley, a study has been conducted to evaluate the risk using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) framework. The risk index has been derived based on socioeconomic and ecological indicators for risk determinants, i.e., vulnerability, hazard, and exposure. Furthermore, the study also evaluated the future risk to the agriculture sector under changing climatic conditions using Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) for SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 at mid- and late-century timescales. It was observed that districts such as Bandipora (0.59), Kulgam (0.56), Ganderbal (0.56), and Kupwara (0.54) are most vulnerable due to drivers like low per capita income, yield variability, and areas with >30% slope. Shopian and Srinagar were found to be the least vulnerable due to adaptive capacity factors like livelihood diversification, crop diversification, percentage of tree crops, and percentage of agriculture labor. In terms of the Risk index, the districts found to be at high risk are Baramulla (0.19), Pulwama (0.16), Kupwara (0.15), and Budgam (0.13). In addition, the findings suggested that the region would experience a higher risk of natural hazards by the mid- (MC) and end-century (EC) due to the projected increase in temperature with decreasing precipitation, which would have an impact on crop yields and the livelihoods of farmers in the region. Full article

Evaluating inherent vulnerability, an intrinsic characteristic becomes imperative for the formulation of adaptation strategies, particularly in highly complex and vulnerable regions of Himalayas. Jammu City, situated in the north-western Himalayas within a transitional zone between the Himalayan range and the plains, is not only susceptible to intense seismic activities but also faces multiple hazards, including floods, earthquakes, avalanches, and landslides. In recent years, the region has experienced growth in population with rapid progress in infrastructure development, encompassing the construction of highways, dams, and tunnels as integral components of urban development initiatives. Therefore, this study has been conducted to assess the inherent vulnerability index (VI) in Jammu City at ward level as a function of sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and exposure, using ecological and social indicators in GIS environment. The primary objective was to identify the most vulnerable area and ascertain the corresponding municipal ward, aiming to formulate a comprehensive ranking. The 22 indicators analysed were from four major components, namely social, infrastructure, technological, and ecological. The ecological indicators like Land Surface Temperature (LST), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Land use/Land cover were derived from Landsat 8 OLI satellite data. The results show that the majority of the area of the city falls into the moderate (20%), high (25.49%), and very high (25.17%) vulnerability categories, respectively, clustered in north-western and south-western transects with densely populated residential areas. The results can assist policymakers in identification of components of inherent vulnerability for focused resource management and formulating adaptation strategies to address the current stressors in the region. Full article

The Kashmir Valley is immensely susceptible to soil erosion due to its diverse topography and unstable geological formations in the Himalayan region. The present study helps in assessing the spatial distribution and prioritizing soil erosion zones in the Central Kashmir region covering the Sindh and Dachigam catchments. The study implemented the GIS-based analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted sum method (WSM) using datasets of precipitation, geological map, soil map, and satellite imagery and derived eleven factors (topographical derivatives, LULC, soil, drainage, rainfall, lithology, wetness index and greenness of an area). The ratings and weightage were proven to be unbiased and reliable based on the observed value of the consistency ratio (C_R) (i.e., 0.07). The study depicts 41% of the total area to be extremely vulnerable to soil erosion. The slope varies from 0–62° with mean of 22.12°, indicating 467.99 km² (26%) and 281.12 km² (15%) of the area under high and very high susceptible zones, respectively. The ND_VI and ND_WI maps indicate soil erosion severity covering an area of 40% and 38%, respectively, in highly susceptible zones. High drainage density and curvature zones were observed in 18.33% and 22.64% of the study area, respectively. The study will assist in the planning and implementation of conservation measures. Full article

Rapid urbanization has led to the emergence of slums in many developing and industrialized nations. It degrades the quality of life and burdens the urban amenities resulting in uneven distribution of slums. The majority of people in the developing world live in squatter settlements and these random gatherings disrupt the economic and social developmental plans of the concerned country. No suitable planning framework has been created for replicability on a considerable scale, despite the fact that slum upgrading is acquiring worldwide importance as a political issue. In recent years Jammu City has witnessed high population growth rates resulting in an uneven provision of urban amenities and a surge in slum areas. This paper focuses on a method-based approach using Management Information System (MIS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) for upgrading slums and recommends a planning outline using the approach formulated by the Government of India under the scheme named “Rajiv Awas Yojna” (RAY). The aim of this study is to assess the status of slums, propose redevelopment plans, and highlight the roles of different planning agencies to accomplish the redevelopment goals. The study concludes by postulating several recommendations for upgrading slums and formulating a framework that can be used in other similar areas for development. Full article