Experts have sounded the alarm on the rapid retreat of glaciers in Kashmir. Over the past six decades, Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed a staggering 25% reduction in glacier size, a trend exacerbated by the looming threat of climate change. If left unchecked, 48% of these vital glaciers could vanish by the end of the century.
Jammu and Kashmir boasts approximately 18,000 glaciers, including large ones like the Siachen glacier, spanning an impressive 65 kilometers in length and towering 500 to 600 meters in thickness. These glaciers are an invaluable resource, serving as a lifeline for the region, providing water for agriculture. However, with temperatures on the rise due to climate change, these glaciers are melting at an accelerated pace.
One of the most pressing concerns is the shift in the timing of water availability. Historically, the Valley has relied on the gradual release of water from melting glaciers during the crucial months of June and July, coinciding with the agricultural season when water demand is at its peak. However, changing climate patterns have disrupted this cycle, leading to a surplus of water in March, April, and May when it is not required.
Kashmiri Earth scientist and glaciology expert, Shakeel Ahmad Romshoo’s research at the University of Kashmir reveals a disconcerting reality. Over the last half-century, the region has already lost 25% of its glacier mass. An additional 68% is anticipated to vanish by the century’s end due to climate change.
The crisis is not an isolated phenomenon. It has dire implications for the ecosystem and the people who depend on it. The melting glaciers disrupt the traditional water supply cycle, severely affecting agriculture.
Rising temperatures in the Himalayas are also leading to a shift in tree lines, enabling vegetation growth in previously uninhabitable areas. The melting glaciers provide the necessary space for this transformation, creating a more hospitable environment for vegetation to flourish.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the nomadic communities, are already witnessing the distressing consequences of glacier ice melt. Once snow-covered grazing areas have dwindled, and glacier-covered landscapes of yesteryears have given way to visible streams due to continuous snowmelt.
Experts like Ramshoo are emphasizing the urgency of implementing storage projects to ensure water availability during critical periods. These initiatives are vital to mitigating the devastating effects of glacier loss on agriculture, one of the Valley’s mainstays. Such projects are important to address our water needs as there is little that we can do locally to reverse climate change which is driven by global factors.
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