HILL TOWNS -
Environmental planning as a pre-requisite for disaster mitigation
Abstract
V.Suresh
chairman and Managing Director, HLIDCO
R.K.SaFaya
chief (Design and Development), HUDCO
Mountains, essentially are the wealth of unique biological, functional and aesthetic resources for every country. They are the sources of water, forest produce, minerals, agricultural and horticultural produce and provide ample opportunities for tourism and recreation, thereby contributing significantly to the national economy. They also offer immense bio• diversity i e. flora and fauna both, which have high cultural and economic value. It is also very well known that the mountains play a very vital role in determination, regulation and modification, of the climatic regime including the rainfall in the country. Some of the mountainous regions form a very closed eco-system wherein the various sub- components of the system are so fragile that any disturbance through human intervention can cause irrepairable damages, whereas some of the regions are able to tolerate the interference over to a slightly extended time penod. Nevertheless, all mountainous eco-systems, geologically younger or older are more or less fragile eco-systems. “Nearly half of the world’s population i.e. about 3 billion is concerned in one way or the other with mountainous regions anti about loper cent or the earth’s population lives in mountainous areas on higher altitudes while doper cent occupy the lower altitudes’, reports Agenda 21 Nature is also very unkind to mountainous region. Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, landslides and fire etc cause large scale destruction to houses year after year in different sub-regions.
Disaster Reduction in Hill Areas and Environmental Planning
Disaster in todays world can be both natural and manmade, in fact sometimes it is becoming difficult to ascertain as to which of the human action is going to or is leading to occurrence of a particular disaster While the link between natural disaster reduction and urban/ regional planning is less evident, There is an established connection between environmentally degrading practices and occurrence of natural disasters. As the~population of our country becomes more concentrated, the natural resources have become increasing eroded and degraded Indiscriminate felling of trees particularly on upper slopes can cause mudflow and landslides on the lower slopes, Filled up marshes and wetlands can exacerbate flood problems. Sometime the same can also lead to crack in foundations A large number of natural disasters can be prevented lexcept perhaps earthquake, which cannot be predicted) through effective environmental planning measures.
in India, there are two broad hill regions, viz, The Himalayan region and the Deccan Plateau. The hill states are Jammu & Kashmir Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura Many hill areas are also located in Assam, Goa, KarnatKa, iceraia, Manarasntra, Tamil Naou, Uttar Praoesn, west Bengal and the union territory of Daman & Diu,
Conflicts between Developmental Needs and Environmental Conservation
The human settlements within the mountainous region are highly dependent on local resource base including the bio-mass for their daily survival. The Himalayan region although physically a one entity, stretching from west to east presents varied nature of problems. All the cities are located in the low lying areas involving a perennial drainage problem Tfle soil is very good for agricultural purposes and has good productivity It is therefore seen that there is a strong linkage between resources available and the location of human settlements.
Even at low level of 8 70 per cent urban population, Himachal Pradesh is confronted with problems of over urbanisation and fast environmental degradation. As a
result of consistent increase in urban population during the last three decades, pressure on land and resources nas increasea manifold, with 36.46 percent growth rate of urban pooulation during 1981-91, Himachal Pradesh witnessed unprecedented haphazard and unauthorised construction in and around towns, along the highways and in major river valleys. Having complex geological structure, the Himalayas have fragile and delicate eco system. They are highly vulnerable to human interference. The rapid, but unscientific and haphazard development of roads, has aggravated their environmental degradation. Roads have caused colossal destruction of vegetal canopy and triggered off massive erosion on slopes. Sliding debris has chain effects of clestabilising the Eco-system of beautiful valleys and subsequently the plains Modemnisation and technological revolution have uprooted some ancient customs and traditions that had a direct bearing on ecological and environmental conservation. At the present rate of devastatIon, it is feared that Hiniachal Himalayas may turn into a desert in next century.
The story repeats itself in UP portion of Himalayas. “Himalayas is becoming the vichm of the great Himalayan blunders On the basis of more than half a century’s experience of life in tne Himalayas, I see arieast four Himalayan blunders’, says Sunderlal Bahuguna, a noted environmentalist He further elaborates the same as “the long term impact (social, cultural and ecological) of large cam projects including their contribution to major landslides. The other three issues are mass displacement of hill people. loss of rich fertile soil and stoppage of ground water recharging and massive deforestation even by government itself’
The North Eastern region comprises Of the most valuable tropical rain forests The human settlements in this region are facing the same challenges as described in the above two regions 80 per cent of the population lives in the rural areas. North East is rich with natural resources in the country and is endowed with huge oil deposits and other minerals, priceless forests and sprawling tea plantation. The per capital forest availability is in excess of national average of 0.11 hectare with Arunachai Pradesh having 8.0 hectare per capita. on the overall basis, around 65 per cent of the total area in northeastern region is
-	/
%~ •I~ i~7:/
•1-
%/.. ~
\ \ \ 1
~
Rood Prone Areas
Settlements
WeVanzls
LANDS UDES AND MASS W/kSTACE I
L±IN FACTORS
The VaRey is prone to eartrKJuakes Lvery high damage anti high damage rfrskl~ Part *f the ~‘a!ley is also in me wind hazard zo-ne. Most Of the settlerrtents are located within tie flood basin of Jheiurrt river. bra~n]ge problems ~re perennial. The river brings in enormous ~llt road annuaUy, which further recuces me Capacity of law-lying areas fOr absorptIon of excess Floodwaters, This area tias high density Of populat~On and IntensFve economLc actLvities.
D31 La)e Carcr~rnent E316 sq.kmsi prOduces6d acre feetsift jnflualry WhICh 15 dexisitecf in the Dal Lakt
~~~~L___J
SLOPEFonAJrc MATEFIAt* SHEAF PARAMETERS
SAmRAPOriJ-CFOUND WAtER OR SURFACE WATER
Kashrflir Valley
Catchm ent/watershed/ni icro-watersheds should be adopted as me area units for hazard mtrozonatIon~ so that the problems related with natural disasters and developmental issues linclucing impact assessmenti can be addressed together
Dal Catcriment
Catch ments/Watershea
H ~1
~i ‘2
~F	LIJO
~I	01—
----I
I	~-Z
__~	tfl~j
	iaJ NJ
:Q~
I 4—U
I~
Ion
It-,tn
L4C
L~
Meannenng r/ver W?~ cutt~rtg (he fl . Arwiactial Pntiesh
Covered under Forest. So ear, the north east arri region iano ownersnw ~ traditionally in the hands of society arid is b~i~d on social good, liii Gate this system has prevarien Nowever. cnanging onenomenon of aeveloornenc ano transftEon from tcaüitionai to industrial activic~ may lear! to cutting this rim o.o-resource and ecosystem The average rainfall in the region Is the highest in the Country, Mass destruction of forests in this area can rea to Floods and devastatIon.
& firM at the a~a AftrrPJchaI Nadgsh
The tradItional land Ownerthip which it based on the concept o land ai ~sociaJ good and not as Sri economic good or facto? of prriduttlon has led to a situation wherein the entsrprmn•itrthlp development agriculturil productIvIty rrI~rketabIe surplinl It a casualty
Tourism ~s beIng viewed as an essential eiOnOrrIic C?JVFW For tt~e hilly re~iofls, which could generace good employment opportunities CorlsIderaL~ieSUCtesS has been achieved iii tilEs sector, wIle(&n~ it is seen that number or small and ~ settiemenc:s are fuiiy dependent on tourism, Howe~~er, the oocentiai rot tt~e develoomerit of tourism, with latest manaemenc techniques, has s liii not been acJheved it is aiso seen that the excessive ~xoioitation or CommercIalization On the pretext of tounsm h-as iea to considerabie damage to tne ecoio~y of tne region.
Occurrence of Natural Disasters
The Hirrgala%s and tile North Eastern region presents a Treasure HDUSE~ of landsildes having nt’ par~EEei in the world clue to wide variations in geology. geornorphoiogy, ci;mate, aifltijrje arii:1 rock types. in the recent years, unoreceaenteri ana unwise exoloitation Of IlErrIatayas Lw g~n do comb~n~ wrh its immature qeoiogy, heavy ralrlfali, varying cLimate, hydrological cortcbthons, seIsmIcIty, fiash fioocls etc ~ro trlg~ec a variety and class Of Ian ctsftdesleawhq ri-re I?eaunfulprsle fores r~ barren ano therefore (run v rp~rable to tIi~ Onslaught Of brcloer mass-movement to follow. When l~’ft uf?COfltmflhlfl. landshcles charge themselves werreratrng more furrows, more ~u1hes and more landslides blocking rtatur~f crafrtage. igwootlnq treesanocarrylngdown aU char would nave ouPerNlse rum en green and gay by the turn of the season. says WK Bllandan the !eadThg screritlst on natural thsasters occurrence of f/as/v Flood; particularly th a nanrw river gorge, seem to be one Of the much Fearee cause of some OF the na/or H/na/a yen Landslides. Accumulation of sF/pp en mnses stPoddng aouiden, cnarge ci river s/Ft and above a/F nas5dve met, erwrsporredby tIre flatulence of ROWIng Water throWe the narrow river passage building up a reservoir of water ipnssurei that eventually Flushes the obstac!a rue resulting drawn down elFect tr~ger siid~g in tfte region, eve,itralIyfSopfllthig
the stability OF the ?~i1l as a wnole. some of the Fonnidabie lands/Foes nave oiten ereatea landslide cans in the narrowri ver gorger. pie further explains.
-aSn~ me youngest mountain system jri we wond, stIll In the nrocess of formation andhaunted by the frequww occurrence ofiaridslides. Duflng last hundred years or sO~ it ha~ been nobteci ,n AIakrranda carcsiment twice BArN 118923, EelaAbotflr c19fl ardBhagrraffli catchmenttmxe
- Sen. JaIroortlg3Ot ion jr/nag (195.W, Oabranf (1978). After me urrajnsvearmauae. !heINflveQeve~opedcracKs
and there were nuge ,QshaesafldblcckaOeof8ftagltathl near Loharinag anti Babreni En me very (irst monsoon.
Even if tne crams *lrf&ana rr-emors. nobody car~ prevent
me repetition of W-jon warn araiyflngedyol 1963. wnen
a fWlock WmbEed into £he res&vflir, ceus7nçi a flash flaX kNlIng2,CXX peon. Even hnormalcondltiont clams cause flth floodsc When there are neaw rains just after the monsoon, excess water is to tee Th.eshetl for the safety of the darn itself me sweiience of Rflakra mn 1938 should not be forQO(rEfl says Sunderrai Rahuguna, In a
newspaper report of early 9CFL me recent ~andsiide at
M3Ipa testlf S tiltS. These areas which were covered by foresti a decade ago are now barren. This cannot be Ignorea In the recent episode it Mulpa, says Catitam Katil, orrector Ceneral ot lndo.Ylbetan ~order Police.
Of au die marl-made structures, the collapse Of engineered and non-engineered buIIdtags during an eartrtciuake is the main ccntflbutor to the Foss of thres an~ Injuries tO the oeooie More tI’ian 55 per cent of India’s land area partrcuiariy iii the north Eastern region falls En rue se~srnic ione Of moderate to Severe intensity.. me entke Kimaiayan range Fmm icashmir ~ Assarri, western anti central Himalayas iInciudFnQ ~eoai l’lirnalayasl are earthquake prone. Eatthcpiakes or magnitude more than 5.0 Oh Pitcher sca’e have neen known to occur in the flistorical ~aSt or r~ccW~QØ En the Last &l years in certain regions, even Earthquake of Q]ant size, more man 7.15 on the RAtchet scaie have aiso occurred and the largest magnitude earthciuake With M’S.? nac Its origIn In the QinLong Plateau in i091.
The mast important issue which needs to be emphasized here, is the fact flat traditional houses.
tonstructed with traditional niaterlals and technIque’s have survived the onslaught of massIve earthquakes where the new construction has shown severe daniages. Olsaste-r manaoernent irwolvino pre~ cisaster activities does not forni iiafl Of the mandate of any lnstitucion However, to make prediction in advance nas aiso not l2een successful so Far. Agenda 21 In the ctiapthr on •Sustainab1~ 1-liimarr settiementr says,
•ConstrcctxoflDrffl’ams soudenphawecalmatenarn
RELATIVE HAZARDS WITHIN THE BLOCKS
— High Hazard zone
M J Medium Hazard zone Low Hazard zone
THEMATIC MAP DEPICTING LANDSLIDE HAZARDS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
•~
.~I.
157-160
136- 138
131 -134
117
BLOCK-WISE HAZARDS
1•’J Kangra Block
(Higest Seismic
Hazard)
Garhwal Block	Highest
Chamba Block	Intermediate
Shimla Block	Least
(Least Seismic
Hazard)
Snow Cover with Grazing Land
~ Forest Land with Nominal Cultivation
Barren/Waste Land I Cultivated Land ~I Forest with Cultivation
Cultivation with Forest
LAND USE PATTERN IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
CEO-ENVIRONMENTAL STATES OF HIMACHAL PRADESH (REGIONAL LEVEL)
Source: Geological Survey of India
Levels of Geo-environmental status derived from the rating methodology
LevelIIIIII	DescriptionPristineMaginal DegradationRelook Necessary	Score6566-120121-1 50
IVVVI	Remedial Measures NecessarySerious concernAlarming/Irreversible	151-181181 -200201
CK*tiilflfl 1a’iosilde mw Utrar Pfath?$h
energveffroenraes~~ns, mar5rw&c that tic not harm heaTh, and me emnronment. area iaDou Mrensne recflnolog~es mar emnioy m~r~ peoQle To (educe thsgrauan to me rng cIne~ governments ShCvld vnprOve rterMlw:flg condItions and encourage the deveioprflenr of meafum~sl2ea ones rrtarcr&ate emvkirnenr and hc~isfrtg. Sound management ‘s- neeoeo ~o orevent uroan sprawl onto agnculturai land rind erivtronmentahy fragile regions Itis also rmoOItantW see c!latserr?ements are btailr wr locations aria using designs
arid materials trrar rnuce the risl~ of damage from such
natural dIsasters as floodIng. earfluwakes and ?andsudes.
The HrmMay2tn nven are fea tip’ CITIF me?tfrpq Snow airo glaciers of we Himalayan rahqe dunnQ the wring arni summer ~ertd and by the rarfls Cfurtrw me nicwIsoon. me
frvcPro-Meteoro?cwcal factors like We rncdence of fleaw
ramniaU aria Occurrence of heavy and contirwous melting
of snow /n the hills Ithtfl ocher sources assoclareo wtm me prcrrnottori of a hydraulic gircharQe tnt water levels and Including the presence of natural or mrni~made
obsrruclions rfl the floodway sc~cb as bridge p?er5 ~q~eirs
floating deDf~S ~ire me conrntiutory causes for irlundaoor? of ierrd and darrPa~e L’a prqperty says an NBO report The contrnuous erosion ieict~ to sEitmo UD of me rii.rer*eds
causing fir~QC5, which is a p~srenniai uroblem of hill states, the ~etcLements wfl~ch ire kx.ateri in the vaLiey floors aiwin
ChC rivers, are rue most vulnerable Habitation In rIver
valleys, around lakes and water bodies will centinue
due to ptesture OF pnpulatlon and ecoflnmlc
compulsions.
One or cite unwe’come ~ut rrecpJent haflrcis in most
cour’tnes which seem to gO nanu Ifl hanci IN~tfl IngtlstcLaL
arc] Lirbarl deveIopr’r.ert is fre Direct darn a~e ruy fire can
occur ncr OnW :c buildings but ro eauwment. worK in prtiress, stores records arc! other c~nrents nciclentai
clamaqe auso arFs~ ~~rn nøat, smoke ana the ~vater used in nrc fighting, Buiichings or au types~ ras~dentraL, inciustnai.
CQlTlcrltlflitV and ofhc~ buildings account For a siieable oortion of cap’taJ LrrQestmenr arid n2tionaF wealth anc
represenc pctent!al f’rre hazard. The citiesiserclerhents in tne mountaoas regions. t’iavesuffered trerrFenctouslvc]Lie
to nre hazards. Tile tra6Itlorial Cities have hlqh densIty aevetocment, wIthout any sethacks. and also the greater vSe OF wood has rescrited In fins, Which destroy large number of houses each year.
The zaring regular.o~ ir’L1uG;119 tfle ~iici~ng oye~iaws Only OIvE ~iirnpse of requis4te measures toot ~Jntlertaken either
in rh~ ~rOwtlt of the CRY or ceiristluctior’ of biiircftngs, There ~ need to utiiizz~ the ethflel’abELtW atlas, prepared tiv the
go~vernrnenC iMinistry of Urban Oevekiomentl and ref iect ma s~rrre in hind use zoning regtiiatioeu aitti buli ding bye iaws
Need For Linking Qeo-envFronmental Studies with the City Planning Process
TO begin ~1iFth it is necessary to conduct geo envirflnmentai studies. WP’tFCh recognizes and respects
eflvwoilcnental resources anti natural PtOCQSS~ me growth Of Hill towns can be accommodated at no greater short
njn cost. anti almost certainly at lower iortq run costs, measured not only ny money but by luaiity of Lure anti
other intangible factors Enclud rig reduction in the cocts/
avoidance of enormous exrjeriWture involved in me post
ti’s.aster reniatdiihtion. Tr4dEtlOflaL pianning has oeen
*asecl on design, economLc, erlqineertng ana
transporta Lion concepts that have considered natural
process Oniy Coiriciclen tally aartially and indirectly, in other words in t~e freluent conflicts between conservation and development, tne C Servaucis has
seldom being the winner, the resuit has been destruction of irreplaceable resources and creation oP ecological Imoalan cc; with serious immediate arid future
Conseotiences ]nciudih9 natural ci s&StIr.
mq gee-environmental studies evoivino the assessment
of eleven pararneter~ such asceology/Litholocty, Minerals, Soils, Climate, water resources, Land use, Forest ana
Agriculture Natural Hazards, scarrIication due to Thniny inc con~rniurucation~ were conducted for the 5tate or l4imacftaL Qradesh til Ge.otO~tcaI sur~ty of inaia. Tne
oredomLnant flaturai [wards, Which cifrect the state, can
broally be ciassified as land slidesirnass wastage anti
earthquakes. Lana sides and mass wastage process have
been categori?ecl tinder reiative intensity classes of low. moderate arid high nfl the basis OF ~#arIous parameters, lilce Ci) slope geometry (ii) Slope forming material 2nd their si’iear parameters and Liin saurat~on either by grourfcl
~qrater ~r ram water otner parameters having second
uwacr control areforests/vegetai cover, cilmate uithciogy, altitude and reiief me iandsllcleirnass ieeEsta~e rna~ and earthquake harard map have been super impaled arid
the integrated map i’das prepared, wherein the picture ol natunaE hazards for the state can be uisvaltzed. The
uimesrone procruicuon nas [cii to s$gnlf~cant lana Uegtadaitior’t, tue 200 slate wc~es ha~ie resulted lii cre3tcofl
Of iarge ots -5 to 1CM tiown deep intO the hiM. in addition
to this 70 per cent of the forest I e iosC curing a span Of last 20 years is due to the eKtenslcln of agricultLirai
activities on to un-viabLe siopes
Al! these h.We resulted In Increased vuuneratfflirv of cne
popiila non ano inc ranc to the rtaturai nisasters Districts of Cftam~a. LahLIi — Spiti anti Kannaur reQuire rrnniediate
remedial measures, i~ ~sr~cts ~r ~ Naflan, so ran
and Sturri!a requires relook. Au these districta nave high poQuEatlon density and intense economic acti~vLties. Ft is
cjuiite ciear from the study that thC environmentaL
degradat.dn anti the naturai disaster can not Oe divorced
from each other ,~nci no soititicris to (he prOlFeifls of
natural disasten can t~e YeiJfld unless tM issues are
appra~ed with the conrnreliensive framework These reg!oflal stu tiles have tO be irnmewateiy ioiioweci bY tue ass~55rneht 2nd appraisai at the local settlement Ieieels, which may ne an urban, or a rural corripleic together arid preterably On watershed basis.
For instance the Shiiiong township which is a grOwing town needs For e~p~nsion The unauthcriied expansion at present taking place has ied to a situation wh~rein tuxises have been constructed at Siopes, which is more than 20 to 30 degree. The naturai r.lrainage system his been compieteuv a~tered/disrtiptecl and the pOtential aguif& recnarge areas have aKo corrte under urban expansioh. Th~ existing s~iiiong town races an acute water hortage despite receivIng a very nigh rainlaii 12400 mm per yeail The oeo-env’ronrnentai study which was initiated [or finding tne suitabie location Of new shillong townshiri has iii coca teti that ~e Uflpiailt’teo urtfln’flt:on
)
CEO-ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD AND SUGGESTED LANDUSE MAP OF SHILLONG URBAN COMPLEX. MEGHALAYA (URBAN LEVEL)
Land use
Areas suitable for future expansion of town
1 Sparsely forested areas for further afforestation.
~ Areas suggested for afforestation.
• Parking lots
Parking lot proposed to be constructed Proposed bus terminus
oo Garbage dumping sites/main garbage disposal site.
Alternative sites for final garbage disposal.
Proposed shillong bye-pass ahhignment. ...~ Lneaments
New Shillong Town
Legend
Undevelopable Land
Existing Villages
Existing River/Nalahs
Natural Drainage Channels
Existing Roads
Land Pocket Already Acquired
25% of the new town contains of high slopes and natural drainage network. The challenge lies in conserving this area, and yet making the project financially viable.
Existing Graveyard
Source - Geological Survey of India
INDEX
Geoenvlronmental Hazards
Areas Deforested
Construction of Houses on slopes
> 15 deg.
Portion of Shillong bye-pass allignment along slopes> lsdeg.
Stone quarries located along nala banks.
Areas of nh and gully errosion.
Areas prone to landslide
Areas of flash flooding
Other Features
Potential ground water areas
Location of spring
~ Tyrsad-Barapani Shear-Z
1 Escarpments
— Master Plan Boundary Spot height/Triangulation Station
‘7-4
e
I
•	4
f
t,~.	~•
£
S..
-I
INDEX
LANDFORM	LANDUSE
High Hills	Urban Built-UP
Moderately High Upland	Rural Settlement
	Mixed Natural Forest
— Flat Topped Hillocks,
Piedmont and Cuesta Slopes	(p Cultivated Areas
River Valley and Terraces
,,	~•~._._:-~ ~ .~
——-. 7
	/
--	~.//d’_
// ~
/	.~.	~
~ ~ :.P
•,
S.-,	-	-	-
- -..-~-‘.	-:	-‘	~	-,
INDEX
SUGGESTED LANDUSE
• Area Suitable for Urban Expansion
Area Suitable for Agricultural Activity c Area Suitable for Horticulture
~ Area Requires afforestation
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AREA PRONE TO
Dendrific Gullying and Slumping
£fl Sheet Erosion
• Landsliding and Slope Failure
• Flooding
CEO-ENVIRONMENTAL APPRAISAL OF PART OF ITANAGAR CAPITAL COMPLEX,
ARUNACHAL PRADESH (URBAN LEVEL)
Source-Geological Survey of India.
particularly on slopes more than 15 degree, deforestation and faulty waste disposal has led to excessive soil erosion, river siltation, water scarcity and air pollution. The study has indicated five alternative sites for the future expansion of town in addition to areas for forestation, potential areas for availability of ground water and conservation of aquifer However, keeping in view the traditionai land ownership pattern, it is a very difficult task to acquire the iano in tne suggested areas, for enaoiing the shift of population/future growth to the safer areas. HUDCO is making significant contribution, by way of promoting safe and sustainable cities/new towns in hilly regions, through its technical assistance/consultancy efforts.
A similar geo-environmental aporaisal of the capital city of Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh has also indicated various environmental hazards around the capital complex.
The study has identified the areas of active gully erosion, sheet erosion, land slides and flash flood prone areas in and around the existing Itanagar town, which is craving for viable corridor for expansion and growth. The study has further identified t~e probable area for the construction of new the extreme east of the existing town wherein the slope of the land, the soil and the availability of the ground water is favorable. The economic viability would force the town development authority to expand the existing town in the areas which are close by, taking the advantages of the existing infrastructure already laid.
However, the environmental studies are indicating a location, which is far away from the existing town. These conflicts are needed to be resolved so that a compromise solution can be arrived.
Tolerance and Suitability of Environmental
Features to Development
The planners are becoming aware that system analysis of the total environment and its processes need to be a part of the overall planning process and that efforts to maintain or improve environmental quality and disaster reduction ought to be given sufficient weightage in making development decisions Mr. McHarg, a leading environ mentalist, has suggested that the data with regard to various parameters should be collected In sequence such as climate, geology, physiography, hydrology, pedology (soils), vegetation, wildlife and landuse. He further indicates that such type of data follows logically from the proceedings An understanding of climate and geology helps explain the nature of the region’s physiography Similarly an unoerstanding of physiography nelps to explain hydrological patterns including drainage patterns. rivers and flood plains and underground water resources. The understanding of the natural process will help to explain the pattern of land use. A reference framework (developed by Michael J. Meshenbergl of systematically analyzing the data of the environmental inventory for use in developing a plan has been found extremely useful. it provides: (11 a description of selected environmental features: (2) a brief discussion of their tolerance to, and sustainabiiity for, development with respect to their ecological role, usefulness and potential hazard to man, uniqueness and vulnerability; 131 examples of types of uses and scale of development compatible with each feature, (41 examples of deveiopment restrictions which might be applied to sustain the natural processes or avoid creating hazards
Need for Geographic Information System Applications
The geo-environmental appraisal at present Is being done at the district level and the vulnerability atlas prepared by the Ministry of Urban Development is also giving an information on the state and the district levels, in order to enable the local planning authority or the district authorities, to take appropriate decision, it is necessary to collect the information pertaining to various environmental features at the micro level. The satellite imagery can help us to produce the requisite data on regional landuse, vacant land, drainage pattern, degraded land, water bodies, tanks ana ponds, wasteianas, salt affected lands, water logged areas, eroded lands including the existence of gullies and ravines, and the areas wherein natural hazards have already taken place.
Through remote sensing, the data can be collected faster, and is cost effective and accurate, compared to conventional methods. in orderto understand the impact of the development or the changes taking place in the local ecology, it is necessary to measure the same on time senes it can also be used for disaster prevention, as a tooi in the multi hazards, risk assessmentanaiysis and map preparation. 615 can be used for preparation of multi layered maps co-relating geological, hydrological and land use data which can be used to identify areas where due to environmental degradation the risk of natural hazards is higher. Thus It can be an effective tool in planning for disaster prevention.
Sum up
To sum up, the problems Of human settlements in the mountainous regions are those of imbalances in growth patterns, environmental degradation, deforestation, lack of effective means and transportation, high cost of construction and development, lack of essential services like water and sanitation coupled with low affordability, economic backwardness, lack of entrepreneurship and slow process of social change. The occurrence of naturai disaster further weakens the capacity of the hill regions. Some of these issues can be analyzed in detail, in isolation, but in order to find a solution all these factors have to be considered together under a comprehensive framework. This makes It imperative that the relationship between sustainable environmental planning for hill areas and naturai oisaster reauction oe recognizea Risks can be reduced only If they are systematically analyzed and policy designed to reduce them through the planning process This has to be accompanied by the willingness of the governmentto implement these measures and awareness of t~e local community to help sustain tnese policies at the ground level. It is seen that the local planning authorities are competent enough to deal with these issues within their jurisdiction under the law but outside the same in the region, the environmental protection is no body’s agenda and therefore, proper institution development, which can address these Issues, is reaulred. in addition to this there is also need to revise town and country planning acts, from the point of view of natural disaster and also significant efforts are required to be made, to make master plans effective and implementable. National level disaster reduction and prevention program based on geo-environmental risk assessment will be the need of the next millenium not only in the hill areas but in the entire country.
The balanced use of material re	source will be hard to achieve for a society that lacks belief In
non-material ends	
	Jonathan Benthall: Discussion of Ecology and Art