Public perception of flood risks and warnings in the flood-prone Kashmir Valley, India

Floods are the most recurrent of all natural disasters in Kashmir Valley, Jammu and Kashmir, India, affecting both society and economy. Despite various efforts to prevent loss of lives and assets during floods, a crucial component of flood management, i.e. how the inhabitants perceive flood risk, is not well-known in the region. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted in flood-prone regions of the Valley to gain information on how public understands the risk of flooding in their area, their flood preparedness, knowledge about floods and the trust in various institutions for managing floods and disseminating flood warnings. Respondent demographics was then linked with their answers to establish potential correlations. Responses illustrate that the respondents consider floods as the most important natural disaster in the Valley and most of them mention that the risk is increasing. Results show that the respondents have average knowledge regarding floods, flood protection measures and emergency actions in case of floods. At the individual level, they had not taken adequate steps for safeguarding themselves or their families against floods. The characteristics of respondents namely age, gender, income, education level and previous experience with floods showed statistically significant correlations with the responses. In general, the findings of the study call for better education of the inhabitants regarding flood risks and management actions as well as improvement of existing methods of flood forecasting and warning in the region.