The northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, receives its winter precipitation in the form of snow in higher altitudes. About one-third of the state's total geographical area remains under thick snow during the winter season. But in the past decade, the state has been gradually witnessing lesser snow and the area under the snow is also decreasing.
A study has revealed that all major river basins - including the Satluj, Ravi, Chenab and Beas have witnessed an overall decrease of 18.5% in area under snow in 2020-21 in comparison to 2019-20. These rivers and their tributaries depend upon the seasonal snow cover for their water flow This study was conducted by Himachal Pradesh's State Centre on Climate Change and ISRO's Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad.
Researchers began assessing the extent of seasonal snow cover for every year from 2015-16. The snowfall trend shows that by and large there has been a negative trend in the past decade, but for one odd year. The results also show that there is a gradual shift in the snowfall patterns as well. The snowfall in peak winter is reducing slightly and is shifting towards late winter months or even early summer months. Experts say that the temperature in the high altitudes areas is rising faster than the plains leading to the lesser snowfall. This may be connected to global climate change due to human activities
