The threat looms large
The summer season has arrived in Jammu and Kashmir and once again the focus has shifted to the drying up of water sources as the region has once again witnessed poor downpour during the winter.
The scare snowfall and rains in Kashmir’s higher reaches this winter has sparked concerns among experts over a possible water crisis in the upcoming summer, especially for irrigation and potable water needs.
The experts fear that if the situation continues as it is, there could be significant challenges ahead especially when the region is witnessing record number of tourist arrivals and an ever increasing demand for irrigational and potable water demand.
Notably, the volume of snow this year is alarmingly low in the mountainous regions, which typically receive tens of metres of snow. In Gulmarg the winter sports festivals and games had to be postponed for several weeks as the area had zero snowfall till February.
The report from other areas too is not so encouraging. Satellite data shows that many high-altitude areas in Kashmir and the western Himalayas witnessed scant snowfall this season.
This reduction not only impacts immediate water supply but could also accelerate glacier melt. Notably, when snow cover is less, glaciers lose their protective shield earlier in the season, exposing ice to higher temperatures and leading to faster melt rates. This can seriously affect the long-term mass balance of glaciers, which is a worrying sign for the region’s future water security.
Given Kashmir’s geographical location and its dependence on snowfaal for its water needs, the snowfall during the core winter months is crucial as it tends to last longer. Late snowfall, even if it happens in higher altitudes like Gulmarg or Zojila, doesn’t compensate for what’s lost earlier and going by this phenomenon the snow deficit this year is significant and could result in depleted water flow during peak summer and autumn.
The crisis is looming large and we have to start thinking about the changing weather patterns and what needs to be done to overcome the drastic changes that have become a norm now on the weather front.
Kashmir and its adjacent regions of Zojila and Ladakh have to gear up for massive plantations so that the after effects of mass forest destruction can be reduced a bit and the changing weather patterns can be at least controlled a bit.
We have been over the years relying heavily on the patterns of western disturbances and its capacity to bring precipitation in the ongoing and coming months which fills the natural water reservoirs.
Ironically, the unusually high temperatures for this time of year are also adding to the concern. Srinagar touched 30 degrees Celsius recently, the second-highest recorded during April. If this continues, it will further accelerate snowmelt and glacier depletion resulting in furthering the water crisis here.
Now that a fresh western disturbance is all set to affect the regions weather patterns we hope that the already depleted snow accumulates are replenished to some extent.
