Students join Indian Himalayan research project building resilience and reducing disaster risks for vulnerable mountain communities

Seven University of Cumbria students are the latest researchers to contribute to an international collaboration that seeks to strengthen resilience to flood hazards and disasters in the Indian Himalayan Region. 

They have spent some of their summer in the region working alongside co-researchers from the G.B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (GBP-NIHE), supporting the bilateral research project led by Dr Richard Johnson, Associate Professor of Geography within the University of Cumbria Institute of Science and Environment.  

The long-term research project has led to the creation of a new tool  - HiFlo-DAT (Himalayan Flood Database) - to support the Indian Himalayan Region which is prone to floods. It is an area which stretches across more than 530,000 sq km and home to around 77 million people. The open access HiFlo-DAT tool (initially focussing on the Kullu District) compiles historical flood records to identify patterns, causes and impacts that are often missing in official databases. 

Funded by the Department for Education’s Turing Scheme for overseas student exchange, Ethan Baxter (Geography), Tom Rainford (Geography), Hannah Wright (Geography), Reuben Hibbert (Creative Practice), Megan Richards (Wildlife Media), Katie MacDonald (Zoology), and Alice Wears (Zoology) together embarked upon the cross-cultural trip with Dr Johnson and colleague Professor Ian Convery, who is a Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Cumbria. 

As well as collaborating with the G.B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment at the Himachal Regional Centre in Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Cumbrian students and academics also worked with University of Delhi researchers, and visited the GBP-NIHE Headquarters in Almora (Uttarakhand). 

Award-winning student and alumni University of Cumbria film-makers Megan Richards and Reuben Hibbert captured their research activity and experiences, producing two separate short films. 

Their international placement varied from working on a research presentation for an international conference to spending hours reading and translating daily village logbooks with translators, to record important data that it is hoped will help better manage predict future flood and disaster threats and reduce risks by improving responses to the changing environments and climates within the mountainous region. 

Hannah Wright, who is studying Geography at the University of Cumbria, said: “Travelling with six fellow students from the University of Cumbria to India for this research trip was incredible. The placement was filled with the stunning scenery of the Himalayas, diverse cuisine and opportunities to make new cross-cultural friendships, and in a few instances unpredictable travel. On one occasion we travelled in India for over 17 hours – I don’t think I’ll ever complain about traffic in the UK again. 

“The trip brilliantly encapsulated the phrase ‘people make the place’ and it was a privilege to have the rare opportunity to be part of an active research project. Whilst on the trip, I saw the importance of local knowledge in every stage of research. 

“Whilst visiting the Kullu District, it became apparent to me that it shares much in common with the English Lake District – both attract large numbers of tourists, supporting economic growth, however in some aspects tourism has started to negatively impact upon them.” 

Ethan Baxter is continuing his involvement in the project over the next academic year through his final-year dissertation as he approaches the end of his Geography programme, of which he’s expected to graduate from in summer 2026. 

He said: “Being part of a wider research team was a real highlight, developing my research awareness. It brought home to me the real-world importance and value of applying these skillsets within these communities.” 

Zoology student Katie MacDonald was also among those to take part. She adds: “It has really broadened my skill set and given me a strong idea of what I want to do for my dissertation. It has taught me about the interdisciplinary nature of environment-society challenges and has been, overall, an unforgettable experience. I absolutely loved the opportunity to do some birdwatching in India, seeing an incredible array of species across the areas we visited.” 

Local translators have reported that they too learned new things about their region through their work with Cumbrian students and academics exploring community flood knowledge and challenges, and how it is leading to meaningful disaster risk reduction via resilience. 

Their experiences and reflections have been captured in a special blog, part of a series of information and data about the long-term project – all available via the University of Cumbria website.  

Project lead Dr Richard Johnson said: “The UK Turing Scheme, alongside other funding sources, have provided an invaluable opportunity for UK students to experience global challenges firsthand – as research co-producers, making a tangible contribution to our partnered research-policy portfolio in the Indian Himalayan. The 2025 summer monsoon (July-September) season brought the latest iteration of disaster losses, with very significant flood and landslide impacts in the Kullu District.” 

A blog reflecting fully upon their experiences is available at https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/blog/articles/india-research-placement-may---june-2025.html 

Researchers have also created a policy brief, written to inform the development or implementation of future policy, and discussed findings with District and National Government in India along with wider Government, NGO and academic partners. It is available here: https://data.bathspa.ac.uk/collections/_HiFlo-DAT_Indian_Himalayan_Flood_Database_for_Disaster_Risk_Reduction/7589948 

More about the bilateral HiFlo-DAT flood research project in the Kullu District of the Indian Himalaya that is led by Dr Richard Johnson is available on the University of Cumbria website at: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/blog/articles/himalayan-flood-database-for-disaster-risk-reduction-hiflo-dat.html 

Furthermore, recent Indian media articles are available at: https://www.amarujala.com/shimla/himachal-moaning-mountains-five-streams-of-kullu-valley-are-wreaking-havoc-from-manali-to-punjab-study-revea-2025-09-15?pageId=2 and https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/new-flood-database-aims-to-safeguard-hills/ 

WATCH: Indian Himalayan Region visit by award-winning University of Cumbria Wildlife Media student Megan Richards  

WATCH: University of Cumbria graduate Reuben Hibbert’s short research film 

ENDS