CHARACTERISTICS AND MITIGATION OF THE SNOW AVALANCHE HAZARD IN KAGHANVALLEY, PAKISTAN HIMALAYA

Snow avalanche hazards in mountainous areas of developing countries ha ve received scant attention in the scientific literature. The purpose of this paper is to describe this hazard and mitigative measures in Ka ghan Valley, Pakistan Himalaya, and to review alternatives for future reduction of this hazard. Snow avalanches have long posed a hazard and risk to indigenous populations of the Himalaya and Trans-Himalaya mou ntains. Land use intensification due to population growth, new transpo rtation routes, military activity and tourism is raising levels of ris k. The history of land use in the study area is such that investigatio ns of avalanche hazard must rely on different theoretical bases and da ta than in most industrialised countries. Despite the intensive use of valley-bottom land which is affected by avalanches, a number of simpl e measures are currently employed by the indigenous population to miti gate the hazard. Out-migration during the winter months is the most im portant one. During the intensive use period of summer avalanche-trans ported snow provides numerous resources for the population. In Kaghan the avalanche hazard is increasing primarily as a result of poorly loc ated new buildings and other construction projects. The large scale of avalanche activity there rules out any significant improvement or pro tection of the currently difficult winter access. Instead, future miti gation of the hazard should focus on protecting the small number of wi nter inhabitants and minimising property damage.