Foundation for Living Knowledge

Disaster Development in Himachal Pradesh!

Do join and make a change.

Honoured to share that our work case study on traditional water systems in the Himachal Pradesh region was shortlisted by UNESCO.

Together with my colleague Ritika Khanna ( ), we presented our work at the Chengdu International Festival of Intangible Cultural Heritage in China.

We showcased how traditional systems like Bawadis/Baolis contribute to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. I also had the privilege to join the UNESCO Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Climate Change, focused on safeguarding living heritage as a climate response.

Grateful to UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), CRIHAP (International Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region) for providing this opportunity, and also thankful to the People's Government of Chengdu, China for warm hospitality.

We continue to work on such living knowledge systems and building resilient communities at Foundation for Living Knowledge - FOLK. If this resonates with you, let’s join hands—we’d be happy to collaborate.

We were honored to contribute to a vital conversation on heritage reparations in the face of climate change, hosted by Leiden University’s Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies.

Our Director Madhusudan Singh and colleague Ritika Khanna presented on how climate change threatens cultural heritage and the urgent need for reparative frameworks that center community voices and resilience.

This interdisciplinary workshop, co-organized by Sophie Starrenburg and Gül Aktürk, brought together experts in law, anthropology, disaster studies, and more. It highlighted a critical gap—existing legal tools often fall short of addressing the deep-rooted damage to heritage caused by climate change.

Thank you to all the organizers and participants for creating space for this much-needed dialogue.

Adapting to a Shifting Snowline in Himachal Pradesh: Observations from Lahaul, Spiti, Manali, and Kullu

Over the past few years, we have ve been working closely with communities in Keylong (Lahaul & Spiti) and around Manali and Kullu, witnessing firsthand how changing weather patterns are reshaping our Himalayan landscape. According to recent data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), annual rainfall in Keylong has increased by over 15% in the last decade. Meanwhile, the snowline is moving higher, with some studies indicating a shift of 20–30 meters every decade.

Local residents around Manali and Kullu vividly recall when snow blanketed the peaks for nearly four months each year. Today, many say it lasts just 20 days to a month, making it harder to plan for crops and tourism seasons. These shifts affect water availability, disrupt traditional farming cycles, and pose new risks from flash floods and landslides.

In response, our work with these communities focuses on community-led climate adaptation, such as rainwater harvesting, water-resilient crop planning, and strengthening local disaster preparedness. By combining local knowledge with scientific insights, we aim to create sustainable solutions that can help protect both livelihoods and the fragile mountain ecosystem.

If you’re also involved in addressing these challenges or have experiences to share, we would love to connect. Let’s collaborate on innovative strategies that keep our Himalayan home resilient—despite the rising snowline and shifting weather patterns.