This paper analyses how disaster risk reduction (DRR) approaches in hazard-prone Ladakh, India, take both vulnerability and capacity into account. The floods which struck the mountainous region in 2010 created momentum for local authorities and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to engage in DRR initiatives in order to better prepare people to cope with and recover from emergencies. Although NGOs' relief efforts in 2010 were praised for building on local communities' context and capacities, most practitioners still view DRR through a hazard-focused lens.

The paper recommends that emphasis should be placed on the practical integration of DRR in sustainable development efforts, in order to better tackle disasters.