Earthquake Vulnerability Assessment - With special reference to Srinagar City of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Book excerpt: Nature presents humankind with a set of opportunities and risks which vary greatly in their spatial distribution. Earthquakes are the most feared natural hazards, as they occur without any recognizable warning, are unpredictable in space and time and inflict heavy losses in less than a minute duration. This book deals with the Earthquake vulnerability assessment of Srinagar city in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Vulnerability assessment with respect to natural hazards is a complex process that must consider multiple dimensions of vulnerability, including both physical and social factors. Socially created vulnerabilities are largely ignored, mainly due to the difficulty in quantifying them. This book gives a detailed vulnerability analysis of Srinagar city with respect to earthquakes by taking into consideration the physical, structural and non-structural parameters.