Climate change adaptations in Leh-Ladakh India

 Event 

Climate Change Adaptations and Capacity Building for Sustainable Livelihood in High Altitude Cold Desert of Leh-Ladakh, India

Part of the Hazard, Risk and Disaster (HRD) Research Lecture Series 2022-23.

Climate change adaptation in the high altitudinal zone of the Himalaya is a pressing need as changing precipitation and temperature patterns are influencing the local life. Leh District is one of the most fragile and remote areas in South Asia. Communities living here have adapted to the local conditions over many centuries but recent years have witnessed the changing climate and climate paradigms in the region. Here the human habitat is totally dependent on glacial meltwater. The high range of temperature and climatic variability are affecting the precipitation pattern and glacial-cover, which are generating the disastrous situation for survival in Leh-Ladakh region.

The aim of this study is to observe the spatio-temporal trends of climate change and to assess the indigenously adopted adjustment methods and government initiatives against it, which will be helpful in inclusive development programs for mountain communities in the Leh-Ladakh region. In this study, it has been found that the changing nature of the climate is affecting the local lifestyle and livelihood. The major source of livelihood has been agriculture, horticulture and animal rearing but in present days the changing paradigm of climate has brought in a difficult challenge of water scarcity. Due to this significant alteration, snowfall is decreasing and the rate of snow melting is increasing consistently. It has also been found that the seasonal availability of water is a very important aspect of daily life in this region. Therefore, local and government initiatives are particularly needed in terms of conservation and judicious use of water resources.

About the speaker

Bindhy Wasini Pandey is Professor of Geography at Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. His research focuses on marginality, exposure, vulnerability, hazard analysis and assessment and management in high altitudes, mountain natural resources conservation and management, climate change and climate change adaptations and livelihood sustainability analysis in mountains.