Kashmir is a region of extraordinary natural beauty, but it is also a landscape shaped by complex and overlapping hazards. Floods, earthquakes, cloudbursts, flash floods, avalanches, landslides, forest fires, pollution, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) together make the Valley one of the most disaster-prone areas in the Himalaya. In such a setting, disaster risk reduction cannot be treated as an afterthought; it must be integrated into development planning and public policy at every stage. Among these hazards, earthquakes require particular attention. Kashmir lies in a tectonically active zone where the Indian Plate continuously collides with the Eurasian Plate. This ongoing convergence, part of the broader process of plate tectonics, builds stress in the Earth’s crust and periodically releases it as earthquakes. As a result, the region is highly seismically active and vulnerable to damaging events. The Valley falls within one of the highest seismic risk zones in India. Its history reflects this reality, with several destructive earthquakes recorded over time. The 2005 Kashmir earthquake remains a stark example, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. While earthquakes cannot be predicted with precision, their inevitability in Kashmir is well established by geological and seismological evidence. This makes preparedness not optional, but essential. Despite this, recent discourse on seismic risk is often shaped by sensational narratives that amplify fear rather than understanding. Minor tremors or general vulnerability are sometimes misinterpreted as signs of an impending catastrophic event, while scientifically grounded analysis is overlooked. Such narratives may attract attention, but........

© Greater Kashmir