Flood Disaster Risk Governance in Changing Climate Contexts

Flooding is a known hazard in many parts of the world causing widespread devastation. Historically, flood risk management has relied on the traditional methods and technical interventions implemented from the top down. However, a paradigm shift at the international level encourages an all-hazard approach and collaborative efforts from all relevant stakeholders, including civil society organizations. The main objective is to identify, assess and understand disaster risk while effectively managing disasters by emphasizing the pre-disaster phase (preparedness, prevention and mitigation). This approach involves implementing international-level risk-informed policies and legal frameworks, especially the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, at the local level. Disaster risk governance, integral to disaster risk reduction, occurs under the umbrella of good governance. While significant progress has been made at the global level, there is limited understanding at the regional or city levels  from a governance perspective. The Kashmir Valley, home to the Himalayan region’s largest urban center ‘Srinagar City,’ serves as an example of a multi-hazard-prone region where disaster risk governance is evolving and the implementation of global-level risk frameworks into the development of location and context-specific disaster management policies and plans is still in its initial stages. With a long history of disasters, this region is already experiencing the negative consequences of climate change. The purpose is to understand disaster risk governance from a historical perspective at the international level, focusing on flood hazard, and contextualizing it with extreme climate situations in the Himalayan region. By utilizing evidence from a poorly studied Kashmir region, the goal is to establish and recognize the importance of flood (disaster) risk governance for effective flood (disaster) risk management.