Kashmir snow crisis raises fears of upcoming water woes

Dry winter hits ski resorts hard and prompts warnings on agricultural impact

20240119 kashmir slopes

Deserted, dry slopes are seen in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, on Jan. 11. (Photo by Faisal Bashir)

QURATULAIN REHBAR, Contributing writer

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir -- Surrounded by the majestic Pir Panjal mountains, Kashmir's town of Gulmarg is famous for skiing and snowboarding. This season, however, it has not been the winter wonderland visitors expect -- a state of affairs that tourism-dependent locals fear is a climate-change-induced sign of things to come.

Places that normally get up to 2.5 meters of snow as early as November had mere centimeters, or not even that, in early January. Instead of receiving the crowds that usually arrive around the Christmas holidays, resorts have been receiving booking cancellations. Even a late-season snowfall, if it comes, may not be enough to undo the damage.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.