Abstract:
Despite recent achievements in the field of disaster management, the increase in
death and damage points out that there is a need for a realistic and practical plan. Advances
within single disciplines, alone, cannot solve the challenges in disaster management. As various
disciplines have become increasingly diversified, a more complete understanding of the
vulnerability and mechanism in which disaster happens is needed, so that adequate strategy is
identified. This paper explores the emerging consensus among scholars and practitioners for
multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches to disasters and emergency management. It explains
why such this strategy is deemed necessary and highlights the benefits of moving beyond
explanations emanating from single or separate fields of study. To achieve this aim, the
expertise of sciences, social sciences and language is combined. There has been recent
progress in these individual disciplines, but multidisciplinary approaches must be implemented to
tackle disasters in the future. The geographical location of Shimla is such that it is
environmentally fragile and ecologically highly vulnerable to multiple disasters. It lies in
Himalayan region located in the Zone IV and V making the region liable to experience the
earthquake of intensity MSK VIII or more. In addition to it, river Satluj, Giri, Pabar rivers renders
the population living on the banks of these rivers susceptible to floods. Now days due to the
increasing developmental activities, the landslides are on the rise. Further the Shimla being
enriched with the green cover leads to irreparable losses during summers due the incidents of
forest fire. Keeping these problems in view, this paper comprises three objectives. They are: a)
to record the spatial temporal incidences of disaster in the Shimla, b) to analyse the causes and
impact of disasters in the Shimla and c) to suggest measures of mitigation based on
multidisciplinary perspective. The investigation leads to analysis that the disasters are on the
rise. Hence, there is a need of multidisciplinary research to mitigate disasters and to prepare the
community by way of capacity building to respond in a better way by adopting appropriate
measures to reduce the adverse impacts.
