Snow Disappears from Uttarakhand's Om Parvat for the First Time, Experts Blame Climate Change
Experts have linked this unprecedented phenomenon to sparse rainfall, scattered snowfall in the upper Himalayas, increasing vehicular pollution, and global warming.
Pithoragarh: For the first time in history, snow completely vanished from Uttarakhand's Om Parvat last week, leaving visitors puzzled by the unusual sight. Experts attribute this rare occurrence to minimal rainfall and erratic snowfall in the upper Himalayan region over the past five years, coupled with increased vehicular pollution and the broader impact of global warming.
An official warned that if the hill remains snowless for an extended period, it could impact tourism in the region. Fortunately, snowfall on Monday night brought snow back to Om Parvat, offering a temporary reprieve.
Om Parvat, a popular tourist destination in the Vyas Valley, sits at an altitude of around 14,000 feet. The snow atop the hill naturally forms a pattern resembling the Hindi word "Om," which gives the site its name. "It was disheartening to see Om Parvat, which is known for being perpetually snow-covered, completely bare when I visited on August 16," a visitor lamented.
Local resident Urmila Sanwal, who lives in Gunji village, showed photos of a snowless Om Parvat and said, "There was no snow on the 'Om'-shaped hill. Without snow, the spot was hardly recognizable." Dhan Singh Bisht, who oversees the base camp for the Adi Kailash Yatra in Dharchula, added, "In my 22 years of service with Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), this is the first time I have seen Om Parvat completely devoid of snow." Previously, the annual snow melting rate at Om Parvat was between 95-99 percent, but this year, the snow melted entirely.
However, after the snowfall on Monday night, snow has returned to Om Parvat, Bisht confirmed. Bisht, with 20 years of experience organizing the Kailash-Mansarovar and Adi Kailash yatras, noted that district administration officials in Pithoragarh were initially shocked by viral photos of the snowless Om Parvat but were relieved to see the snow return to the famed tourist spot.
He explained that scanty rainfall and sporadic snowfall in the upper Himalayan region over the last five years might have contributed to the complete disappearance of snow from Om Parvat this year.
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Sunil Nautiyal, Director of the GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment in Almora, pointed to rising temperatures in the eco-sensitive Himalayan zones, driven by the increasing number of fuel-powered vehicles and the overall effects of global warming. "To mitigate this, we need to determine the carrying capacity of all sensitive locations in the high Himalayas and address the issue of rampant forest fires, as carbon emissions from these fires are also harming sensitive spots in the region," Nautiyal suggested.
The surge in tourist footfall following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jolingkong in October last year is also considered a contributing factor. "Tourist numbers have increased tenfold since Modi's visit to Jolingkong for a darshan of the Adi Kailash peak," said Krishna Garbiyal, a resident of Garbiyang village in Vyas Valley.