BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4.10//EN TZID:Europe/London X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/London BEGIN:VEVENT UID:136@staging.cumberland-geol-soc.org.uk DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261202T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261202T193000 DTSTAMP:20261103T174207Z URL:https://staging.cumberland-geol-soc.org.uk/events/floods-in-the-indian -himalaya-growing-challenges-and-emerging-solutions/ SUMMARY:Floods in the Indian Himalaya: Growing Challenges and Emerging Solu tions DESCRIPTION:Dr Richard Johnson\, Geography\, University of Cumbria\nDr Ceri Davies\, Geography\, University of Gloucestershire\n\nAbstract\n\nThe Ind ian Himalaya is a geodynamically active\, culturally rich and biodiverse r egion that is increasingly exposed to floods\, landslides\, wildfires and earthquakes. Focusing on the mountain states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar akhand\, we examine how climate change and rapid infrastructure developmen t are amplifying hazard impacts and challenging disaster resilience. Our c entral aim is to improve understanding of evolving flood hazards\, vulnera bility and exposure\, and the resulting environmental and societal losses. We apply this knowledge to build connections\, capacities and tools that strengthen disaster resilience. Drawing upon a portfolio of ongoing resear ch and knowledge exchange projects\, including HiFlo-DAT\, HiFlo-PAT\, HiF lo-REC and HiFlo-APP\, we present emerging insights and practical solution s.\n\nHiFlo-DAT is an English-language documentary archive analysis. In th e Kullu District\, it documents 128 flood events at 59 locations over a 17 5-year period (1846-2020)\, providing evidence to support revision of dist rict disaster management planning and community resilience initiatives. Th e approach has transferable value across the wider Indian Himalayan Region and has subsequently been trialled in the Chamoli District through the in tegration of archival evidence and local community knowledge.\n\nHiFlo-PAT comprises a systematic assembly of local-language records relating to his torical flood impacts in the Kullu District. Through evaluation of restric ted-access Patwari (village accountant) daily record books\, the project s eeks to reconnect local government and community actors with historical fl ood experience\, enhancing risk awareness and disaster resilience.\n\nHiFl o-REC is an ongoing flood hazard\, vulnerability and risk project focused on Kasol Nalla in the Parvati Valley. Using flood palaeohydrology\, dendro chronology\, archival analysis\, community surveys and participatory GIS\, the project evaluates multiple lines of evidence associated with the 1875 landslide-flood event while reconstructing the longer-term flood history of the catchment.\n\nHiFlo-APP advances community participation through th e development of Apada Sahayak (https://apadasahayak.com/)\, a free biling ual mobile application designed to strengthen citizen reporting\, informat ion exchange and preparedness. Launched in July 2026 in the Kullu District \, the app connects residents\, local government authorities and researche rs through a participatory digital platform. Users can submit hazard obser vations\, view incidents on interactive maps\, receive push notifications and access evidence-informed guidance on preparedness\, response and recov ery.\n\nCollectively\, these initiatives demonstrate how historical eviden ce\, community knowledge and digital innovation can be integrated to stren gthen flood resilience and support more effective disaster risk reduction across the Indian Himalayan Region.\n\nDr Richard Johnson is an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Cumbria\, Ambleside. Throughou t his career in academia and environmental consultancy as an applied geomo rphologist\, he has worked extensively in mountain environments\, investig ating sediment systems\, flood and landslide hazards\, and disaster risk r eduction (DRR). His early research focused on sediment cascades and extrem e flood events in the English Lake District\, before expanding to the high ly sensitive landscapes of the Indian Himalaya.\n\nOver the last 15 years\ , he has worked extensively in Himachal Pradesh\, particularly the Kullu D istrict\, and in Uttarakhand\, including the Almora and Chamoli Districts. These activities have involved collaboration with Indian\, UK and Canadia n higher education institutions\, government authorities\, humanitarian or ganisations\, environmental consultancies\, and local indigenous and exile d communities. His research has addressed historical flood occurrence\, en vironmental and societal impacts\, community-based DRR using traditional a nd digital approaches\, and hydropower planning. He was Co-Principal Inves tigator of the UGC-UKIERI HiFlo-DAT (Himalayan Flood Database) project and Principal Investigator of the British Council-funded HiFlo-APP project. H e currently serves as an International Advisor to the University of Delhi Centre for Himalayan Studies and is a Life Member of the Association of Pu njab Geographers.\n\nDr Ceri Davies is a Lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Gloucestershire\, Cheltenham. Her current research focu ses on community-based river management\, working with citizen action grou ps in the UK focusing on water quality testing and Natural Flood Managemen t techniques. She has also worked collaboratively with          D r Rich Johnson for nearly a decade and been a co-investigator for the HiFl o-DAT historical flood and flood reconstruction research projects in the I ndian Himalaya.\n\nLocation (Physical/Zoom) TBC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/London BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20261025T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR