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ShareNew Delhi: Ama Sofi does not make his livelihood selling ice cream in Srinagar any more. The glacier that he banked on to make his ware is not found in summer any more. The women from Srinagar's outskirts, who supplied him the ice, too, have lost their livelihood.
The Leadership for Environment and development (LEAD) recounted this example in an online discussion on Climate Change and Himalayan Ecosystem. The Himalayas, with its huge stockpile of snow, is most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Here's evidence.
Himachal Pradesh is reporting increase in frequency of cloudbursts and floods, hampering apple production at Bajaura in lower Kullu Valley. The apple belt in the valley is moving to higher altitudes.
Monsoon has shifted to late August, while winter rains come in March and April. This affects pollination, as the rain washes away the pollen, and ultimately fruit production. The apple crops also miss the required chill as winter days have reduced and are warmer.
Reduced water flow through rivers and streams, because of receding glaciers, are causing water conflicts in the Kullu Valley, says Archita Bhatta of the University of Leeds.
The Parbati hydro-electric project in Kullu was approved on the basis of water flow on the river Parbati. But now, the NHPC will have to divert small streams like Manihar, Pancha and Hurla and use their water for the project, leaving Hurla, Garsa, Sainj and Manihar dry.
In Uttarakhand, the monsoon has shifted from July-August to August-September and winter precipitation from December-January to January-February. This has hit production of amranthus (a good cash crop) and barley and wheat. The Chamba fruit belt, once famous for its apple orchards, has seen complete change in cropping pattern. Like in Himachal, here too there is an invasion of pine forests in the higher reaches, once oak forests, affecting fodder availability.
Even Kashmir, which has not faced large-scale hunger in the last 50 years, is facing water scarcity. Farmers are compelled to shift from agriculture to rain-fed farming.
Four decades ago, women of Dhara and Harwan near Srinagar made a livelihood by selling ice (called yakh locally) from the glaciers. This is not possible any more due.
UNESCO's Ram Boojh observed that climate change research needs to be conducted at a micro level. A report by Ramesh Jalan of UNIDO says there is a lack of multi-dimensional, integrated approach for sustainable development. The National Action Plan for Climate Change did form a mission mode plan for mountain ecosystem but a participatory approach is lacking.
