Reconstructing disasters and adaptation scenario of nineteenth-century Kashmir

Realistic disaster scenarios are constructed by integrating both natural hazard phenomena and human science sources of information. We profiled 51 historical natural hazard events of nineteenth‐century Kashmir, which provide us much better insight into what people were subjected to under severe natural and deprived socioeconomic conditions. Moreover, critical evaluation of historical data revealed that nineteenth‐century was stressed with a series of environmental hazards intersected with socioeconomic and political factors which influenced adaptation and augmented the consequences of resulting disasters. Consequently, sequence of disasters over the century led Kashmir society to learn how to live with disasters and minimize risk and more importantly brought about cultural transformation. The very understanding of the natural hazard vulnerability of Kashmir Valley can help to reduce risk arising out of such processes; much needed to guide regional design, planning and can help to direct future policy responses