Shrinking snow cover continues to haunt Himachal Pradesh
The Hindu
The trend of gradual reduction in snow cover in the ecologically fragile state of Himachal Pradesh continues to haunt the hill state – also the mean maximum and minimum average temperature is on the rise in this Himalayan region.
The trend of gradual reduction in snow cover in ecologically fragile Himachal Pradesh continues to haunt the hill State — also the mean maximum and minimum average temperature is on the rise in the Himalayan region.
In the past decade, Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing an erratic, inconsistent, and decreasing trend of snowfall, besides a shift in the pattern of snowfall and precipitation, triggered by climate change.
The depleting snow cover is an immediate concern in the mountain environment as it could have a devastating impact on hydropower, water sources, people, livestock, forests, farms, and infrastructure.
In the 2022-23 winter period (October-April), there was an overall reduction of about 14.05 % in the total area under snow cover in Himachal Pradesh in comparison to 2021-22.
This has been revealed in the latest scientific report conducted jointly by the Himachal Pradesh’s State Centre on Climate Change (HIMCOSTE) and Geo-Sciences, Hydrology, Cryosphere Sciences and Applications Group (GHCAG) and Space Applications Centre (SAC-ISRO).
Himachal Pradesh receives winter precipitation in the form of snow at the higher altitudes. About one-third of the total geographical area of the State remains under thick snow cover during the winter season. Most of the major rivers like Chenab, Beas, Parvati, Baspa, Spiti, Ravi, Satluj, and their perennial tributaries originating from the Himalayas, depend upon the seasonal snow cover for their discharge dependability.
Given the importance of seasonal snow cover as a major input in controlling the hydrology of the river basins, seasonal snow cover assessment in terms of its spatial distribution was carried out in different river basins during the winter season of 2022-23 from October to April. The total area under snow cover was estimated using Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWIFS) satellite data during 2022-23.
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