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The
ecological balance of Himalaya is highly vulnerable to a variety of natural disasters
mainly due to geo-tectonic instability, topographic variability, inaccessibility
as well as poor infrastructural development, high population, subsistence
economy and poverty. Owing
to geo-environmental constraints subsistence agriculture constitute main source
of rural livelihood and food in the region. During the recent past the increased severity, frequency and intensity of natural
disasters due to climate change had
serious consequences that may extend beyond the depletion of mountain sources.
Complimented with population growth, economic globalisation and resultant depletion
of natural resources, land use intensifications and ecological disruptions have
increased vulnerability of large population, particularly of the poor and
marginalised to natural disasters by undermining traditional livelihood and consequent
collapse of community response system to disaster risk.
It is therefore
highly imperative to build capacity of local communities through evolving
framework for sustainable livelihood as community assets determine its capacity
to cope with disasters before, during and after their occurrence. This can be
attained through diversification of livelihood opportunities by sustainable development
of natural resources and strengthening traditional knowledge and institutional
mechanism. The study aims at building community disaster risk reduction
capacity through development of sustainable livelihood with a case illustration
of Kumaon Himalaya. The methodology includes generation and analysis of primary
socio-economic data for appraisal of households’ livelihood and assets; mapping of disaster response history and its
inter-linkages with assets; assessment of households’ vulnerability to disaster
risks based on available livelihood options; and analysing local natural resources, and understanding
indigenous knowledge and grassroot
institutional mechanism and its capacity to support livelihood improvement and
disaster risk reduction programmes in the region. The study also features an
analysis of evolving framework for diversification of community assets through sustainable
livelihood.
The study revealed that
households with diversified livelihood opportunities
and with more assets were more resilient to natural disasters than the families
with relatively fewer assets that accounted for 75% of the population. Keeping this in view, an institutional framework was evolved for participatory
and community based sustainable livelihood based on local natural resources and
in agreement with the local communities and government agencies. The proposed livelihood
strategy can sustainably improve the capacity building of rural communities,
particularly weaker and vulnerable groups to disaster management across Himalaya
and in other similar, marginalised environments across the South Asia.
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