Adaptation to water scarcity in glacier-dependent towns of the Indian Himalayas : impacts, adaptive responses, barriers, and solutions

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning; and, (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-203).Among the existing and projected impacts of climate change, impacts on water resources are expected to exacerbate the current and future threat of global water scarcity. Glacier-dependent societies are especially vulnerable to water scarcity due to the more pronounced effects of climate change on glacial systems that govern the water availability of these societies. In this thesis, water scarcity is examined as an impact of climate change in Dharamshala and Leh, two glacier-dependent towns of northern India, while recognizing that climate change is not the only factor causing depletion of water resources in these towns. In order to show the linkage between climate change and water scarcity, evidence is presented on changes occurring in the towns' local climate parameters such as snowfall, rainfall and temperature, as well as changes in the hydrology of the water bodies that make water available to these towns. This establishes that water scarcity in these towns has been induced not only by increasing demand, but also by decreasing supply of water. In light of the water scarcity facing these towns, an investigation of the measures taken by their local governments to address this issue is presented, which reveals that the primary adaptive response employed in both towns has been supply augmentation. The driver behind this response has been the pursuit of economic development to improve the standard of living of Dharamshala and Leh's constituents. It is argued that economic development as a driver has not been effective in inducing holistic adaptive responses to water scarcity. Additionally, climate change considerations have been largely absent in the policy/planning processes that govern water management in both towns, implying that the responses of Dharamshala and Leh to water scarcity have been influenced by the pursuit of short-term economic benefits in a local economy that fails to recognize the importance of the integrity of water resources to its sustenance. The perpetuation of unsustainable economic development and failure to account for climate change impacts in local water management points to the presence of several technological, structural, financial, and political barriers to the planning/implementation of holistic climate-centric strategies for adaptation to water scarcity in Dharamshala and Leh. Therefore, in the concluding part of this thesis, recommendations are offered to enable the local governments of Dharamshala and Leh to overcome these barriers.by Amruta Anand Sudhalkar.M.Eng.M.C.P

Climate Change and Extreme Weather Adaptation Options for Transportation Assets in the Bay Area Pilot Project

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), the California Department of Transportation, District 4 (Caltrans) and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) have partnered on a collaborative sub- regional pilot project to assess adaptation options for a subset of key transportation assets vulnerable to sea level rise in Alameda County. This study builds on the Adapting to Rising Tides: Transportation Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Pilot Project which was completed in 2011 and identified representative critical transportation assets vulnerable to sea level rise. Both projects were funded by the Federal Highway Administration. The first study developed detailed risk profiles for approximately 30 transportation assets including road, rail and transit. Having identified the risks, and in order to move from assessment to action, three focus areas within Alameda County containing \u2018core\u2019 transportation assets and \u2018adjacent\u2019 community assets were selected for further study to ensure a thorough understanding of their vulnerabilities. Once that enhanced vulnerability had been assessed, a set of detailed, representative adaptation strategies have been developed as potential solutions to protect key bridge, highway, transit and community assets from future inundation