Kangris filled with hot coal under the pheran, steaming cups of pink salty noon-chai with Kashmiri bread, snow fights and power cuts. In Kashmir, snowfall is a celebration of winter. But this year, alarm bells are ringing—it hasn’t snowed anywhere in the valley.
Gulmarg, Kashmir’s most prized winter destination that is known all over the world for its steep skiing slopes, now only sports mushy patches of brown sludge – remnants of last year’s snow. The images are being widely shared on X, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with warnings of doom and gloom. Compared to last year’s photos, where the snow was five-six feet deep, Gulmarg now looks like a post-apocalyptic nightmare brought on by climate change.
I visited Gulmarg last year to sledge and simply enjoy the snow. It’s part of the Chillai Kalan experience (Kashmiris call the harshest 40-day period of winter beginning December 21 Chillai Kalan). It can be brutal. Water freezes in the pipes and cold cuts through bones. But we revel in it. It’s part of being Kashmiri.
Snow has abandoned us this winter, but there’s a sliver of hope. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that Gulmarg is likely to get snowfall on or after 15 January.
Meanwhile, other higher reaches such as Gurez, which used to remain closed from October till the next summer on account of harsh winter, remain open. The entire Himalayan belt has received below-average snowfall this season, with even Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand experiencing a snowless winter.
The El Nino effect
This severe lack of snow has serious implications for residents who worry about a harsher summer ahead without much water. The snow that accumulates in Kashmir over the winter melts into a steady flow of water over the summer, which is even used to generate electricity.
According to India Today, “Kashmir has witnessed a staggering 79 per cent rainfall deficit throughout December and the much-anticipated snowfall is yet to happen.”
Weather experts have warned that this reduction in snowfall might lead to water scarcity that can, in turn, cause a food crisis in Kashmir.
Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of IMD, Kashmir, told ANI that no major snowfall spell is in sight due to global weather vagaries. “El Nino has persisted since November and may continue till next month,” he said.
Climate experts suggest that the El Nino effect, which warms Pacific Ocean waters and disrupts global weather patterns, is the culprit. The warming causes a shift in atmospheric circulation, resulting in reduced rainfalls over Indonesia, India, and northern Australia and enhanced rainfall and tropical cyclone formation over the Pacific Ocean.
“The Indian subcontinent currently lacks a strong western disturbance that brings moisture from the Arabian Sea and causes snowfall in the mountains. It turns feeble while approaching the subcontinent. El Nino is a very significant factor behind this phenomenon,” IMD scientist Soma Sen Roy told India Today.
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No sign of spring
If winter is a desert under the cover of snow, spring heralds new life. As the snow melts, fresh grass starts growing, rivers are renewed with fresh water. Everything is cleaner—it is a privilege to be a part of this, and we experience Chillai Kalan with the knowledge that spring will be sweet.
But with no snow, I don’t know what spring in Kashmir would feel like. Perhaps we should have seen this coming. After all, persistent dry spells have brought Gulmarg to this stage today.
The lack of snow is a major disappointment for winter sports enthusiasts, too, who visit the valley to ski, snowboard and experience the joy of winter sports. This could be a massive blow to the valley’s tourism industry.
The government has, in recent years, intensified ‘winter festivals’ that cater to non-local tourists rather than the local populace. But this year, people fear that the absence of snow will leave Gulmarg desolate.
If this situation persists, the Khelo India Winter Games, scheduled for 2 February and featuring about 400 athletes from various states, Union territories, and even the Indian Army, could also be adverselyimpacted. The competition will take place at Kongdoori and the main bowl of Gulmarg.
This snowless winter in Kashmir is a stern reminder that the changing climate has a ripple effect that can affect the lives of thousands of people. I’m in Delhi now, but I sing for Kashmir: “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.”
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)