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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of snow on the radio link performance of wireless sensor nodes in Indian Himalayan conditions and to propose empirical path loss models for radio wave propagation.

At the remote test site, one source and three listening wireless sensor nodes were deployed at frequency of 433 MHz. The path loss models are derived from experimental data collected during the period of snowfall and clear weather conditions. Linear, exponential, second and third-order polynomials path loss models have been investigated along with experimental data.

With the help of curve fitting and goodness-of-fit tests, it is found that path loss can be modelled through third-order polynomial equation during the snowfall period. However, if sensor is buried, the acceptable path loss model is exponential. Similarly, for unified modelling requirement, exponential path loss model over linear can be a preferred choice.

Results show that path loss can be estimated priori for deciding optimum transmission energy in wireless sensor network. Presented work is usable in extending the lifetime of health monitoring devices buried in snowy environment.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to debates about environmental policy in developing countries by examining how far sustainable livelihoods approaches (SLAs) to development may allow an alternative and less universalistic approach to environmental changes such as soil erosion.

The paper provides an overview of debates about environmental narratives and SLAs. There are tensions in both debates, about how far local institutions represent adaptations to predefined environmental risks, or instead enable a redefinition of risks according to the experience of poor people. In addition, there is a tension in how far SLAs should be seen as a fixed institutional design, or as a framework for organizing ideas and concerns about development. The paper presents research on soil erosion in Thailand as a case study of how SLAs can redefine risks from erosion for poor people.

SLAs provide a more contextual analysis of how environmental changes such as soil erosion represent risk to different land users, and hence SLAs can make environmental interventions more relevant for reducing vulnerability. But this approach can only succeed if intervener agencies are willing to consider challenging pre‐existing environmental narratives in order to empower local livelihoods.

The paper adds to existing research on SLAs by exploring the implications of SLAs for redefining environmental assumptions. The paper forms part of work aiming to make debates about the politics of environmental knowledge and science more practically relevant within development policy.

Climate change affects the natural resource base and poses enormous difficulty for the natural resource‐dependent indigenous population of the cold desert region in the high altitude Himalayas. The interplay of climatic and eco‐hydrological processes on these fragile ecosystem coupled with increasing anthropogenic pressure, are leading to increasing stress on indigenous agro‐pastoral communities and their livelihoods. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the outcomes of a study carried out in the Trans and Western Indian Himalayas to quantify the level of environmental threat and adaptive capacity.

Field studies were carried out across the cold desert belt in Indian Himalaya. A stratified, nested sampling across four Altitude Bands and three hydrological levels in two bio‐geographic regions. A participatory approach blended with scientific field observations and secondary data collection was adopted. Criterion variables were used to identify the “Vulnerability Hotspots” while component indices helped in depiction of key characteristic features of study units.

Data generated through participatory resource appraisal and scientific field observations were used to determine vulnerable “hotspot's”, identifying the driving factors (both anthropogenic and natural processes), and determining focus areas for interventions.

A pilot project on Water Access and Wasteland Development has been initiated in the Western Himalayas that integrates community based natural resource management with infusion of appropriate technology to address water stress and ecosystem vulnerability.

The research results identify target areas and methodologies for intervention, while the pilot initiative strives to ensure that disadvantaged cold desert mountain communities have access to resources and skills for effective management of these resources.

The purpose of this paper is to explore fairs and festivals organized in the city; reasons to celebrate; and their economic impact on local people, vendors and visitors.

Secondary data were collected through local library, Web sites, books and other publications. Local residents, visitors and vendors were interviewed through semi-structured questionnaire and personal interviews.

The events organized are not only an expression of the religious, social and cultural urges of the local population but also help to preserve traditions and folk culture of the region. It brings suppliers and vendors from nearby villages and cities together, resulting in significant economic well-being of the community and self.

Traveling distance to the destination, understanding of the questionnaire by the audience and getting data to analyze the economic impact of such events at a higher level are some of the limitations. Further research is required on the economic impact of regional events on state revenue, and potential areas of study may include traditional sustainable practices and the economic impact and development of an economic framework, keeping regional fairs and festivals as the center of the study.

The research highlights the challenges for the organizers, scope of improvement and ways to popularize regional culture and cuisine. Vendors and visitors find it difficult to reach the event but are optimistic about the development. It also acts as a promotional tool to popularize Pithoragarh as a tourist destination.

The paper helps to project Pithoragarh as a potential tourist destination known for its fairs and festivals. It focuses on the economic impact of the stakeholders and it helps visitors to acknowledge traditions and cuisine.

Bangladesh has a long history of dealing with seasonal changes resulting in droughts and floods. Three major rivers, the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna (GBM) come to a confluence, forming the GBM floodplain. There is a specific time window (June to September) when most of the runoff occurs and over 90% of their combined flow is discharged into the Bay of Bengal. As a result, the seasonal monsoons result in wet and dry seasons, making Bangladesh vulnerable to both floods and droughts. Climate change will likely alter characteristics such as timing and intensity, therefore increasing the challenge of adaptation. Socioeconomic conditions and high-population density limit the country's ability to adapt to these hydro-meteorological extremes. Although climatic variability causes severe damage and loss of life in Bangladesh, examples of local adaptation to the annual rhythm of seasonal variation can be found in flood-prone areas. Scientific modeling has resulted in more robust and efficient early warning systems that have greatly decreased the loss of life from climate hazards in recent years. However, positive impacts from models are limited by complex social concerns that are pervasive across the country.

One of the most prominent changes currently being experienced around the globe, including in mountain regions, is contemporary climate change. In the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region of Asia, climate change is of increasing concern since rising temperatures threaten to melt mountain glaciers and snow while disrupting already variable monsoon precipitation patterns, both of which will impact downstream water supplies vital to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people. Mountain ecosystems are also important to peoples of the region and face dramatic shifts in composition and distribution as temperatures rise and the water balance changes.