Prevention and mitigation of avalanche disasters in Western Himalayan Region

An avalanche is a result of the structural collapse of the snow cover in the upper reaches of mountain slopes in the snowbound belt. They take a heavy toll, year after year and property worth millions is destroyed. Besides loss of lives, the avalanches also destroy forest and disrupt road communication, thereby hindering the hill area development and affecting the defense of the nation. This paper discusses the cause of avalanches, the magnitude of their destruction power and the techniques followed in India by the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), a DRDO Laboratory, for mitigating avalanche disasters in Western Himalayan Region for the defense forces. The authors suggest that an integrated plan for mitigating the avalanche disasters should be set up at national level, involving defense forces and state governments.