Snow cover in Himachal Pradesh shrinks by 18.5%

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, January 21

A decrease of 18.5 per cent has been observed in the total area under snow in Himachal Pradesh in 2020-21 winters vis-a-vis 2019-20.

Sutlej, Ravi, beas basins hit most

• Area under snow of all four major river basins — Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and Beas — shrunk in 2020-21
• Sutlej and Ravi basins show the most reduction of 23%
• There was 19% reduction in Beas basin and 9% in Chenab basin

The mapping of seasonal snow undertaken by the Department of Environmental Science and Technology (DEST) through satellite images has led to this startling observation.

The data shows that the area under snow of all the four major river basins in Himachal Pradesh — Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and Beas — shrunk in 2020-21. Lalit Jain, Director, DEST, today informed that as per the latest study undertaken on seasonal snow cover in the state, it has been found that there is an overall decrease in the area under snow in the winter of 2020-21 with Sutlej and Ravi basins showing the most drastic reduction of 23 per cent.

This was followed by 19 per cent reduction in the snow cover of the Beas basin and 9 per cent in Chenab basin.

The recent study reveals that the glaciers in Chenab basin exhibited a reduction in their area by 3.51 per cent during 2001-18 in terms of clean glaciers and 1.17 per cent in terms of glaciers covered with debris cover.

In the Beas basin, the reduction is of the order of 5.15 per cent in terms of clean glaciers and 1.88 per cent in terms of debris-covered glaciers during the 17-year period (2001-18). In the Ravi basin, de-glaciation is of the order of 3.21 per cent in terms of clean glacier and 1.46 per cent in terms of debris-covered glaciers during the same period.

In Baspa basin, 4.18 per cent de-glaciation was observed with respect to clean glaciers and 2.34 per cent in terms of debris-covered glaciers. In Spiti basin, it was 2.74 per cent and 1.88 per cent in terms of clean and debris-covered glaciers respectively.

The mapping and monitoring of glacial lakes revealed that the effect of climatic variation is more pronounced on the glaciers of the Himalayan region leading to the formation of smaller lakes in front of the glacier snouts owing to deposition of morainic material. When a glacier melts or retreats, it deposits its load on different parts. The debris thus deposited is called moraines.

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