Assessment of area under menace of torrents in Shivalik region of Himalayas

摘要

Torrents are causing vast area submergence and damage to life, property and infrastructure almost every year. This is the most common problem in foothills of Shivaliks, spread over the northern states of India. With the help of modern tools like GIS and remote sensing techniques, a study has been made to assess the extent of problem more accurately.Data from Indian Remote Sensing Satellites has been used for gathering the information about the area under study. The data and imageries were acquired for different northern states under Shivalik region viz. Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal/Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh (UT). Data were collected and analyzed with the help of Punjab Remote Sensing Centre Ludhiana and Regional Remote Sensing Service Centre Dehradun. The results shows that the area under torrents and rivers was found to be 323 sq. km in Punjab, 400 sq.km in Himachal Pradesh, 238 sq.km in Haryana, 414 sq.km in Uttar Pradesh/Uttranchal and about 140 sq.km in J&K., which may vary every year depending on the monsoon and other factors in the Shivalik region. The assessment of the magnitude of the problem provides the insight and need of reclamation of the affected land and suitable technology to control the flashy torrents, which do much damage in the rainy season and causes flood in the downstream areas. About 1500-sq. km area lies under torrents and the area affected can be up to 7,500 sq. km in the Shivaliks. This demands & development of economically viable and suitable technology to combat the menace of torrent in the region.