Kashmir’s summer becomes hotter, affecting people and farms

Zinna Begum stood helplessly until her drying field.

A farmer in the Kashmir district administered from India, she has been waiting for rainfall for more than a month, hoping to save her harvest from dying.

So when she finally was raining early this week, she hoped.

“But until then it was too late,” she said. “Our land is completely dry.”

An intense heat wave has covered cashmere, a picturesque Himalayan region full of glaciers and known for its cool climate as temperatures have grown to record levels this month.

The area registers its highest daily temperature for 70 years at 37.4 ° C (99.32F) – at least 7 ° C above the average for the season.

The valley also witnessed its hottest June for 50 years, causing authorities to close schools and colleges for two weeks.

Some recreation came earlier this week after parts of the region received heavy rains, but experts claim that the relief is temporarily and warns about even higher temperatures in the coming days.

Changing weather models have a detrimental impact on locals, most of whom rely on farming for their livelihood. Many are struggling to stay in business, while others complain about a decline in production, causing them huge losses.

The family of G -Ja Begum grows Paddi – a highly water -intensive culture – for decades on their acres of land (4046 square meters) in the village of Chercy.

But they have not had a single batch of a healthy harvest in the last five years, as the rains have become progressively more parting, she said.

“This summer, we feel that our oldest fears are coming true,” she added. “Nothing is left to us.”

According to a survey in 2021, the maximum temperature in cashmere increased by 2 ° C between 1980 and 2020, showing an average increase of 0.5 ° C per decade.

Muhtar Ahmad, head of the Indian Meteorological Department Center in City Srinagar, said the region has already witnessed three heat waves this season, causing large rivers and streams to dry.

The signs of damage were visible everywhere.

In the Bandipor neighborhood rows of the 15-Decare Apple Dot Apple Dot Ali Mohammad flights.

Twenty years ago, he decided to turn the land, where he raised the falls, into an apple orchard because he felt that the time and supply of water had become too unreliable to grow rice.

But now even his apple culture – which usually requires less water – struggles to survive.

“Orchards need water at least three times a month, but in the last two months there has been no rain and the irrigation channels have dried up,” he said.

The burning heat has also taken a fee for residents who are not used to living at such high temperatures.

“I have never witnessed such an intense heat wave in my life,” says 63-year-old Parves Ahmad, who lives in northern cashmere.

A few days ago, Ahmad had to be taken to the hospital after complaining of severe shortness of breath.

“The doctors told me it was caused by heat and humidity,” he said.

Environmentalists say climate change affects the region, causing extreme meteorological events and prolonged dry spells in both winter and summer.

Last year, Snow -dressed Mountains in the region remained strangely brown and barren months, after a prolonged delay in the annual snowfall.

While the warmer winters led to reduced snowfall, the hot summer has accelerated the melting of glaciers, disrupting the presence of water and at risk of human health and cultures, said Mohammed Faruk Azam, glazologist and hydrologist.

“These trends are not just seasonal anomalies – they are a systemic change that can have long -term effects on water security, agriculture and biodiversity in Kashmir,” added Azam.

G -n Azam explained that the greater part of the winter rain and the snow of cashmere come from Western disturbances -storms that form over the Mediterranean and move east. But these systems have become lighter and less common, which leads to reduced snowfall and slowing down snowfall.

“This exposes the naked land earlier than usual, which absorbs more heat. As the glaciers shrink and the snow cover decreases, the earth reflects less sunlight and captures more heat, which makes the region even more warm,” he said.

Jasia Bashir, a professor at the Islamic University of Science and Technology in the Avantipor area, points out that Kashmir contributes very little to global carbon emissions as it has a limited industry and relies on agriculture and tourism.

Still, the region has been hit strongly by climate change – which makes it a victim of a crisis that plays a small role in creation, she said.

“This tells you how climate change is a global phenomenon that is not limited to any particular region.”

This said that the region has also witnessed rapid urbanization in recent years.

Huge agricultural land and forests have been replaced by concrete buildings, reducing the region’s ability to naturally regulate the local climate.

According to a report from Global Forest Watch (GFW), the wider region Jamu and Kashmir lost nearly 0.39% of its total wooden cover between 2001 and 2023 due to deforestation and forest fires.

In addition, government data reveal that over 600,000 trees have been cut over the last five years after being identified as river attacks.

G -ja Bashir said that the urban Kashmir regions also have higher energy needs, especially for air conditioners, which increased greenhouse gas emissions.

“This defines a vicious cycle: the rise in temperatures leads to more energy use, which nourishes more emissions and additional warming,” she added.

Critics say that despite increasing risks, environmental problems rarely make titles and are not yet a priority for Kashmir politicians.

Tanvir Sadik, a spokesman for the selected government in the region, denied this and stated that the administration was taking the problem of climate change “very seriously”.

“Climate change is a global phenomenon and only the government cannot handle it,” he added. “However, we are exploring all the options available to minimize its impact on people.”

But for farmers like d -be Begum, every action should happen quickly.

“Otherwise we will be doomed,” she said.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram., YouTube, Twitter and FacebookS