tribals-in-hp-s-cold-desert-feel-the-heat-of-prolonged-dry-spell

Feeling the heat of a prolonged dry spell this winter, the tribal folk in the cold desert of Lahaul & Spiti in Himachal Pradesh are worried about the impending threat of water scarcity for drinking and agricultural purposes with the area having just one cropping season.

 

Helpless, they are offering prayers in monasteries, invoking Gods for snowfall now.

 

The Lahaul and Spiti valleys, which are separated by 15,090 feet high Kunzum Pass, used to be under snow this time around. Thanks to the changing weather pattern, Lahaul & Spiti have yet to witness proper snowfall this winter (except for mild snowflakes in December) and the weather is intermittently warm in this distant belt in January compared to yester years.

The area usually receives very little rainfall in a few pockets and people here depend on snow to run their lives and livelihood.

 

“We just have one season of agriculture from March-April to September-October. The delay in snow will deplete the water sources and we will have problems in farming due to lack of water for irrigation. The snowfall in December-January is considered good as it stays for a longer time due to sub-zero temperature and charges the chasmas and other water sources adequately,” said Tenzin Dolma, a farmer in Losar in Spiti Valley.

 

“For drinking water, we have hand pumps also, but ultimately, it’s snow that seeps and charges the groundwater sources,” she added.

 

Dolma said the people from Losar and surrounding villages had gone to Kunzum mata temple on Kunzum Pass earlier this week for a ‘mannat’ for snowfall.

 

The Kunzum Pass, which generally faces closure from October to April-May every year due to snowfall and adverse weather conditions due to its high altitude, is closed this winter due to bad frost, not snow. It did however receive snowfall a few months before the winter set in.

 

Though the pattern of snowfall has changed in the cold desert like other areas over the last few years, the pattern affects the tribal folks significantly. Many people have gone out of the tough terrain, looking for greener pastures, those who have chosen to stay back are mainly into agriculture with Peas as a cash crop.

 

“Snow is our lifeline. We have to sow our cash crop peas in April, and before that, we have to moist the dry fields with irrigation. For this, we need good water availability. Further delay in snowfall will make it difficult for us to manage,” said Yeshe Dolma from Lidang.  She said last year it snowed 7-8 times in January month which served the purpose, but this year, it’s so dry.

 

 “We had mild snowfall a few months back, but that melted so fast,” she said.

 

The people of Lahaul Valley have a different concern. They got relief of round-the-year connectivity with the rest of Himachal with Atal tunnel opening in October 2020. 

 

But this caused other problems related to the massive influx of tourists over time. So much so that one of the Panchayats in Lahaul had to close the area for tourists sometime back due to excessive entry of outsiders leading to pollution and interference with their peace as winter is their festival time.

 

“There is no snow in Lahaul as of late. Yet we hope that it will snow in days to come and that will serve the purpose. If it doesn’t, then it’s a worry. But we are used to everything as it snows anytime round the year in Lahaul,” said Mohan Lal from Pattan Valley in Lahaul.

 

Lahaul Valley is famous for the production of quality seed potatoes and peas as cash crops.

 

The impact of global warming over the years is visible in the tribal district. The shift in snow seasons apart, once a big glacier ‘Lady of Keylong’ in Lahaul has reduced in size and gone shapeless and many other glaciers in the valley have also depleted. 

 

The marks of dried waterfalls are visible across the mountains, which signals more problems for locals in years ahead.