Valleys of Kashmir in this January
Kashmir - paradise of scenic beauty and a piece of picture perfect land surrounded with valleys and mountains which reminds about Switzerland. Kashmir is famous for multiple reasons but the beauty of this area can not be overlooked. The creativity of God in making a piece of land shows the utmost potential in this hilly area considered as “Heaven on Earth”.
But this year Heaven on Earth is no longer a winter wonderland because of lack of snowfall. This is the very fast time Kashmir is facing this type of situation and environmental crisis. Till now there is not a single time when Kashmir witnessed a proper snowfall this year where last year they saw 4 to 5 inches of snow all over Kashmir.
In the time when the valleys should look like covered through white velvet for snow all over around , the valleys are brown and barren. “No snow in Gulmarg” is breaking hearts of locals and as well as tourists, as we all know most of the local’s livelihood depends on tourism and tourism is getting affected by lack of snowfall. Winter is the most touristy season in Kashmir and the economy is dependent on tourism and it supports about 2000 people for their regular life and resources. There were 150 cancellations in January itself confirmed by a hotel manager from Srinagar. Along with that tourists are going back early as they are disappointed because there is no snow in the mountains. Locals are calling the winter landscape “desert” and it has a crushing effect on the tourism industry.
This time Kashmir felt the record breaking temperature in winter season. Climate is changing globally but this area is most vulnerable towards climate change. Srinagar , capital of Kashmir recorded 15 degree celsius on Jan 13th which is highest in the last two decades. Pahalgam witnessed 14.1 degree celsius on 15th Jan which is another record breaking temperature.
Every one other occupation related to tourism is badly affected this year. Clothing rental stores, ATV drivers, local transport owners, ice sledge owners all are suffering from this harsh climate change. And it's not only about facing problems in tourist season, they will face problems throughout the year for this lack of snowfall because it will cause regular use water shortage.
It's high time to do developmental activities in a more sustainable way. Many regions of the world are facing terrible ecological and environmental issues and this year it's prominent that climate change is the biggest threat for the world and for mankind right now.
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