Snow cover in Himachal Pradesh’s four river basins declines by 12.7%

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, July 11

There has been an average decline of 12.72 per cent in the snow cover in the river basins of the Chenab, Ravi, Beas and the Sutlej in the Himalayas during 2023-24 as compared to a decline of 14.05 per cent during the last winter.

Shimla received less snowfall

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• Most of the Himalayan glaciers are losing mass and a large shift is being observed in the snowfall patterns
• Concrete steps like switching over to e-vehicles and renewable energy, which will help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, need to be taken so that the rise in temperatures can be checked, says DC Rana, Director Environment
• State capital Shimla had received negligible snowfall in the past two winters

Though there has been a decline in the snow cover this winter, it was relatively less as compared to the winter of 2022-23. However, the Ravi basin has shown a marginal increase in the area under snow during 2023-24.

The findings are based on the satellite imagery studies undertaken by the State Centre on Climate Change under the aegis of the HP Council for Science Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE). As per the studies to assess the winter precipitation in the form of snow, the maximum decline of 15.39 per cent this winter was witnessed in the Chenab basin, followed by 12.45 per cent in the Sutlej basin, 9.89 per cent in the Ravi basin and 7.65 per cent in the Beas basin.

What is worrisome is the highest decline in the snow cover in January; the dip was 67 per cent in the Sutlej basin, 64 per cent in the Ravi basin, 43 per cent in the Beas basin and 42 per cent in the Chenab basin, as compared to the previous year’s winter. The snow cover in February and March showed a positive trend in all basins.

About one third of the total geographical area of Himachal remains under a thick snow cover during the winter season and the major rivers like the Chenab, Beas, Parvati, Baspa, Spiti, Ravi, Sutlej and its perennial tributaries originating from the Himalayas depend upon the seasonal snow cover for their discharge dependability.

“The mapping of the seasonal snow cover in terms of its spatial distribution covers different river basins in Himachal Pradesh during the winter season from October to April. It is an important input for understanding the contribution of snow in different catchments to sustain the hydrology of the river basins,” said DC Rana, Director Environment.

The winter precipitation was mapped in all basins, including the Chandra, Bhaga, Miyar, Beas, Parvati, Jiwa, Pin, Spiti and the Baspa between October 2023 and April 2024. It was also seen that during the peak winter months of December to February, all basins showed a declining trend except the Sutlej basin, which showed a 2 per cent positive trend.