Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment of Schools in Lower Himalayas: Haridwar District, Uttarakhand, India

The Indian Himalayan Region possesses a unique place among the world's mountain ecosystems. Being a geographic young region and tectonically active, it is subject to multiple hazards and has seen a significant loss of life and property each year. Historically, the Himalayas have been subject to various disasters (earthquakes, landslides, floods, etc.), resulting in devastating socio-economic effects on the country's population, further straining an already stressed economy.

Haridwar, the most populous city in Uttarakhand, attracts tourists from all over the world. It is a state in northern India with young mountains and is affected by multiple disasters every year. Many national and international organizations are doing disaster risk reduction research, studies, and initiatives in the Himalayas.

Educational institutions, such as schools, act as lifeline structures in the case of a crisis. As a result, it's critical to protect these structures for those who rely on the school as a disaster shelter and help center. Schools and hospitals, which are considered lifeline structures, play a critical role in the aftermath of disasters. The essential elements to recognize are coping capability, multi-hazard vulnerability, and their risk should be readily available for better planning and decision-making.

In Haridwar District, multi-hazard risk assessment assessments were undertaken at 50 schools (with 285 building blocks) with the same goal. The hazard assessment is divided into two types: building-level surveys that include Rapid Visual Screening (RVS), Non-Structural Risk Assessment (NSRA), and Fire Safety Audit, and campus-level surveys that include vulnerability analysis for earthquakes, floods, industrial hazards, landslides, and wind. The Rapid Visual Screening will highlight potential weaknesses in a building's wall, roof, site condition, block geometry, foundation, seismic band availability, and other components.

This research aims to find hazard vulnerabilities and overlooked behavioral patterns in the region that raise the multi-hazard risk of the schools and the community. The analysis findings should be utilized to prioritize hazard preparedness, retrofitting, prospective building activities, and decision-making to decrease risk and prepare the school for possible catastrophes.

Multiple surveys are employed in this study to identify deficiencies/gaps in building methods and development patterns in existing Haridwar district schools, and solutions for risk assessment and retrofitting are proposed based on the findings. The research findings can be utilized to prioritize disaster preparedness, retrofitting, future building practices, and decision-making to lower risk and better prepare the school for future calamities.