Avalanche

An avalanche is a mass of snow and ice falling suddenly down a mountain slope and often taking with it earth, rocks and rubble of every description (WMO, 1992).

Thousands of avalanches occur every year, killing an average of 500 people worldwide. Avalanches occur when massive slabs of snow break loose from a mountainside and shatter like broken glass as they race downhill. These moving masses can reach speeds of 130 km/hour within about five seconds. They cannot always be predicted but the weather conditions, which make them more likely, can be forecast in advance. Most accidents now occur because people ignore warnings. The majority of avalanche incidents are due to slab avalanches with skiers involved. Avalanches are bigger, travel greater distances and are triggered earlier in the year. These changes can be attributed clearly to rising temperatures, which have reached 0.2 to 0.4 degrees annually in some parts of the Himalayas.

Avalanche protection and control measures include early warning which is key (EAWS). By way of controlled explosions, artificial avalanche triggering aims temporarily to safeguard possible starting zones (SLF). Defensive structures prevent the formation of avalanches. In order circumstances, when an avalanche is released, it can be diverted or intercepted by a dam. Other means of protection against avalanches include physical structures for buildings and snow sheds (SLF).

Avalanche risk factors

  • Quick changes in weather, snowpack and terrain.
  • Increasing human populations: winter sports lovers at ski resorts and developers building in vulnerable locations.
  • Climate change.

Vulnerable areas

  • Human settlements in avalanche-prone zones.
  • Rural mountainous villages with no early warning systems.
  • Human settlements with no forest cover.
  • Skiing populations and tourists not educated in avalanche risk.

Risk reduction measures

  • Not constructing buildings, roads, etc. in avalanche hazard areas.
  • Early warning systems at local and national levels.
  • Information on avalanches, their impacts and risks for tourism information offices.
  • Tree planting to protect against the release of avalanches.
  • Building codes and appropriate materials to reinforce resilience.
  • Raising awareness, educating and training residents and visitors on what to do before, during and after an avalanche.

Latest Avalanche additions in the Knowledge Base

Update

Why the Swiss are experts at predicting avalanches

‘Managing avalanche danger’ is the focus of last year’s joint application by Switzerland and Austria for Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage status. For their bid, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture insists that a “large and informal body of knowledge” on avalanches has passed on down through the generations.
swissinfo.ch - International Service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation
Update

Mountains under pressure: Climate change, hunger and migration

Climate change is triggering highland disasters such as avalanches, mudslides and rockslides, which threaten lives, jobs and food security across the world. Targeted investments and policies can build resilience in mountain communities, boost livelihoods, and better protect the increasingly vulnerable populations living in mountain regions - almost one billion people.
Thomson Reuters Foundation, trust.org
Update

A rocky future? Ensuring central Asia’s mountains are climate and disaster resilient

Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic are two of the most disaster-prone countries in central Asia, with factors such as insufficient infrastructure, poverty, and climate change increasing vulnerability. A World Bank project is addressing these challenges by bolstering weather forecasting and early warning efforts in the region.
World Bank, the
Documents and publications

A conceptual model of avalanche hazard

This paper shares a conceptual model of avalanche hazard that identifies the key components of avalanche hazard and structures them into a systematic, consistent workflow for hazard and risk assessments. The method is applicable to all types of avalanche

Update

Home Safe Home: A glimpse of disaster risk reduction mechanisms in Tajikistan

On the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Reduction, ACTED Tajikistan participated in an event on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR). ACTED is working towards better resource management in Tajikistan in order to reduce the impacts of disasters and improve livelihoods and food security.
Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED)
Documents and publications

Mountain partners: Applying ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (ECO-DRR) for sustainable and resilient development planning in the Koh-e Baba mountains, Afghanistan

This publication describes a pilot demonstration project on Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) in the Koh-e Baba Mountains of the Province of Bamyan, Afghanistan. In 2013-2016, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the

Update

Making development more resilient through risk information in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is prone to intense natural hazards and decades of conflict have undermined the coping mechanisms and protective capacity in the country. The Establishing Critical Risk Information (ECRI) Project has thus been initiated, resulting in a comprehensive multi-hazard risk assessment at the national level to help the government address preparedness.
World Bank, the
Documents and publications

Overview of disasters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2016: Impact, response and managing risks

This end of year report highlights disasters and emergency situations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2016 and captures the response and relief efforts undertaken by National, Provincial and District authorities in Pakistan. 

It gives an overview of

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