The melting of the glaciers, a phenomenon that intensified in the 20th century, is leaving our planet iceless, this excessive melting of the glaciers since the industrial revolution has been found to have strongly impacted the stream flows of various tributaries. Today, the speed with which climate change is progressing might render them extinct in record time. As per the study, the glaciers of J&K have lost 70 Giga tons of ice over a decade which as per scientists is alarming. In the Valley, we have glacier lakes such as Panjtarni, etc. which are not vulnerable to glacier lake outburst floods. Even Hoksar glacier near Kolahoi glacier has a glacier lake in front of its snout but with very less chances of an outburst. Kashmir’s most power generation is dependent on hydro resources which in turn means it can cause serious implications on hydroelectricity generation. We can take on measures like driving less, carpooling, cycling or walking, not wasting water, turning off lights when they are not in use, hanging laundry outside to dry, and unplugging electronics when they are not being used. These little changes can go a long way towards reducing our carbon footprint and saving the glacier. The nearby glacier, Katha, has also reduced. Similarly, people living around Tangmarg and Gulmarg area believe that the Budrukot glacier in the area has reduced in the last three decades. In general, it was observed that the glaciers in the Pir Panjal range are melting at the higher rate – more than one metre per year – while the glaciers in the Karakoram range are melting at a slower rate, around 10 cm per year. In the last 40 years alone, the Kolhai glacier in the Zabarwan range in Kashmir has receded by 18 per cent, while the 72 sq km area in Suru basin in Kargil district of Ladakh — covered by over 300 glaciers — has shrunk by over 16 per cent. Experts say the glaciers are melting at a rate of 0.8 sq km a year due to warmer winters and lesser precipitation. All forecasts of the impact of global warming on Himalayan snowfall are highly speculative: we really don’t know what will happen in the coming days. We need to take concrete steps to stop the melting of glaciers. In Fact, we need to launch campaigns to aware people about the impact of climate crises.
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