Himalayan Tragedy: Unfrozen Zanskar Signals Global Warming’s Bite
Travellers to the Chadar Trek in Ladakh were left disappointed as they had to walk on the banks of the Zanskar instead of over the stream as it has not frozen even in mid-January.
The trek is famous for the frozen Zanskar, on which trekkers used to walk during this time of the year. However, the winter trail of the Chadar Trek has reportedly been affected due to global warming. The water stream is still flowing due to the rising temperature in the region.
The trek was already truncated due to the construction of Nimu-Padum-Darcha Road (NPDR) by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The locals had demanded early completion of the road as the total length of the trek had to be shortened from nearly 25-30 km to 14-16 km this year due the construction.
The trek started on January 13 after much deliberations between the district administration of Leh and travel operators. There were indications that even places where ice had been formed on the river were not stable. A recce was conducted to know the strength of the ice before the trek started.
Sonam Dorje, Deputy Superintendent of Police, UT Disaster Response Force (UTDRF), told The Tribune: “Even though the trek will continue till February, the response was not as much as last year. We are sending only 20-25 individuals in a group for trekking this year. Last year, we were sending over 150 persons in a group.”
The lesser number of trekkers in a group is also a result of unstable ice formation. The UTDRF has set up camps en route to deal with any eventuality and trained men of the force have been deployed for the purpose.
Sajjad Hussain, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at a college in Kargil, said that the unfrozen Zanskar was a direct result of global warming which had affected the cold desert.
“Ladakh has been affected by global warming in a major way. Flowers which used to bloom in June are blooming in January and February. The days have become warmer even at places like Drass, which used to freeze during this time,” he said.
Hussain said that a major impact was also being witnessed on glaciers of the region. The receding glaciers will cause water shortage in the region in the coming years.
The Chadar Trek is an important winter tourist activity spanning over a period of about one-and-a-half months in January and February. The activity gives a boost to the winter tourism in Ladakh.
