Kashmir's Climate Clock Is Ticking

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
Representational Photo

For decades, Kashmir was the summer escape. When the plains baked, people came here for snow-fed rivers, shaded orchards, and air that felt like relief. But the valley isn't cooling anyone down anymore. It's heating up, and fast.

In 2023 and 2024, Srinagar clocked some of its hottest days in recorded history, with temperatures rising past 35°C. That might not raise eyebrows in Delhi or Chennai, but for a high-altitude region like Kashmir, it's a seismic shift. Fields cracked open. Apple blossoms came too early, then wilted. Dal Lake, once pristine, turned warm and green with algae.

This isn't just weather. It's climate collapse in motion. The Himalayas, often called the Third Pole, are warming nearly twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Glaciers are melting faster. Rivers either flood or vanish. The natural rhythm-snow in winter, melt in spring, bloom in summer-is offbeat and unreliable now.

The hit to agriculture is direct and devastating. Apple trees need a steady cold before they bloom. Without it, the harvest fails. Saffron growers in Pampore say their yields are falling because autumns arrive too hot. Even livestock is under stress. Vets are seeing more animals suffer heatstroke, and mortality rates are climbing.

Nature is showing the strain, too. Glacier-fed lakes are swelling and could burst, putting entire villages at risk. Forests are drying out, and wildfires, once rare, are becoming more likely. Birds are shifting their migration patterns. Lakes are now battling rising temperatures, pollution, and algae blooms that choke life below the surface.

Read Also Heat in the Hills: How Kashmir's Climate Is Slowly Turning Kashmir's Climate Crisis Now Comes with Scams

This is also a public health issue. People are falling sick more often during heat waves. Kashmir's homes, mostly designed for snow, trap the heat. Water sources are depleting. Women and children walk longer to fetch water. Doctors are reporting more cases of dehydration, exhaustion, and mental stress. There's growing anxiety among young people-an awareness that the place they love may not survive the century.

The world needs to pay attention. If Kashmir, once one of the coolest parts of the country, is getting too hot to handle, what does that say about the rest of us?

The fixes aren't revolutionary. Smarter irrigation, crop rotation, solar grids, and reforestation all exist. We just need to act. Policy helps. So does pressure from people. Save energy. Stop waste. Push for cleaner air. It's not about doing everything. It's about doing something.

Kashmir isn't just losing its chill. It's losing the balance that kept its culture, economy, and ecosystems intact.

The climate clock is ticking loudly here. And what happens next will echo far beyond the valley.

MENAFN23052025000215011059ID1109589034