ABSTRACT
Cloudbursts are a major natural hazard in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). During the monsoon season in India, clouds develop in the Bay of Bengal and move up the Gangetic plains, eventually reaching the Himalayas and falling in the form of heavy rain. The torrential precipitation leads to landslides and debris flash floods in mountainous places. These floods are so mighty that they uproot any infrastructure in their path, resulting in the loss of lives and properties. The mechanisms behind cloudburst driving processes such as orographic lifting, rainfall dispersion, precipitation thresholds, and source are still a subject of current research. The frequency of such events has grown significantly in recent years, possibly due to increased human activity and climate change occurrences. There are very limited research to explain the cloud burst phenomena. This study examines the cloudburst occurrences in Himachal Pradesh between 2001 and 2020. The impact and spatial distribution of hydrometeorology and topography to these occurrences are examined using remote sensing information. Furthermore, the resulting flash-floods due to such occurrences are estimated using empirical, rational, and unit hydrograph methods for the upper Beas River basin and compared. Effective database management and decision support systems can aid in reducing the negative effects of cloudburst in the future.
