Development, Governance and the Production of Flood Exposure in a Himalayan Hill Town: The Case of Kullu

Abstract Flood risk in Himalayan hill towns is usually assessed as a hazard problem, yet the spatial concentration of exposure reflects decades of land-use decisions. The study examines how flood risk in the Kullu district is increasingly shaped by land-use governance rather than by environmental factors. In this study, we investigate how planning and governance decisions have influenced patterns of flood exposure over time. Using LULC change analysis, vulnerability assessment, return period analysis, and population projections, we show that development has become increasingly concentrated in high-risk zones, particularly along the Beas River corridor, where built-up areas expanded from 1.71% to 4.31% between 1991 and 2021. The analysis further shows that fragmented institutional responsibilities and weak enforcement have allowed development to expand into high-risk zones, widening the gap between risk knowledge and land-use decisions, which has resulted in a gap between policy and practice. Comparative studies from other cities across the globe show a similar pattern. The study proposes an integrated framework combining exposure reduction, nature-based strategies, and institutional coordination to address risk in hilly regions and cities across the global south. The findings contribute to wider discussions on how planning and governance systems can reduce flood risk in hill towns and beyond.