Western himalayan region prone to climate change-induced risk

Chennai: The western himalayan region in India exhibits a higher overall climate change-induced risk compared to the eastern region, according to a study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Madras, on Friday.

In a study published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, the team conducted a risk assessment and ranked 109 administrative districts pan-Indian Himalayan Region based on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) criteria.

The assessment carries significant implications for policymakers as it is critical to identify districts vulnerable to climate change and the extent of their vulnerability before addressing risk, said the researchers.

While the Eastern Indian Himalayan Region housed the top three risk-prone districts, the Western Indian Himalayan Region faced a higher overall risk. More than two-thirds of Western Indian Himalayan Region districts (32 out of 47) fell into the highest and high-risk categories. In contrast, the Eastern Indian Himalayan Region had more than three-fifths of its districts (39 out of 62) categorised as either low or lowest risk.

"The heightened risk in the Western Indian Himalayan Region results from the western region experiencing higher hazards and greater exposure compared to the eastern region. Although the Eastern Indian Himalayan Region is highly vulnerable overall, its relatively low scores in hazard and exposure prevent it from being more prone to risk," said Aayush Shah, Research Scholar, IIT Madras, in a statement.