Snowless winters: Nature’s chilling warning

Winter is the time to head to Kashmir which allures tourists. Snowfalls bare breath-taking vistas which beckon tourists from far and wide. Covered in white blanket, Kashmir abounds in stunning locations such as Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg, and Srinagar. The entire valley turns into a snow wonderland. Trekking trails through several inches of snow, snowboarding, mountaineering, skiing, paragliding, camping by the side of fully or partly frozen and crystal clear lakes, shikara or gondola rides, expansive snow-covered meadows, grandeur of tall mountain peaks, sumptuously served local cuisine, etc., charm the visitors. The majestic valley seems to turn into an embodiment of heaven on earth with its spectacular views during the winter. One can unwind, savour magical landscape, go fishing and angling or indulge in adventure sports amid idyllic landscapes. Sledding and snowball fights and bustling activity of the guests are a common sight. Thousands of households eke out a seasonal living from tourism.

Alas! All this and more wonderful experiences Kashmir could not afford this year. Everything seems to melt away, with snowfalls avoiding the valley. The valley has seen the fastest-warming during this winter. Snow, which like kindness beautifies everything it touches, has become a rare sight - no more snowflakes in the air. Dry spell and, consequently, snow shortage have hit tourism industry hard in winter wonderlands such as Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Kupwara, Pulwama, Anantnag, Yashmarg and Pahalgam. Not just frequency and density of snowfall, even the number of cold days has shockingly shrank in the valley. Rain deficit has also been huge since October.

Scientists are reasoning that winter precipitation has been little due to weak Western Disturbance, and, as a result, there has been very little snowing in the Himalayas. Now, there are no hopes of any snowfall and tourists are keeping away. The last season, too, witnessed the late advent of snowfall towards the end of December 2022.There have been reports of greater incidence of warming in the Himalayas than elsewhere. Warming is much greater than the global average of 0.74 degrees Celsius over the last 100 years, according to the Hindukush Himalaya Assessment Report. Glacier retreats are being reported often in the Himalayan region. Climatic warming and drying continues is sweeping across the region, with the result that bleak scenarios are reported from everywhere.

It seems the entire Valley has turned into a barren, dry land. It appears the winter itself has eluded the valley. There are no shrieks of joy from holidaying children and adults alike in the lap of a refreshingly cold winter. The grim scene in Kashmir today is a reality of planet warming. And it is not limited to Kashmir. A similar situation is reported from Himachal Pradesh as well as Uttarakhand.

Several species, even crops that depend on winter climatic conditions will perish. With moisture gone in the soul, heat stress will be more felt on the ground, easily sparking wildfires and precipitating deforestation, too. It is not a seasonal aberration nor location-specific. The effects of winter warming are being felt the world over, from the Southern Cone to the Arctic Circle. Winter warming will cast a devastating fury upon environmental, human and animal worlds. Once set in motion, climatic adversity is unforgiving. It is fervently hoped that this planet warming will make the frigid hearts of rulers thaw and make people at large aware of potential crises that may snowball, if no sustainable measures are taken up earnestly. The year just gone by was the planet’s warmest year on record.