Barren Himalaya reeling under climate change
If Rajasthan is synonymous with sprawling desert, sand dunes & bare Aravali, Himachal evokes a lush green hilly landscape - cedar, teak & pine. These archetypal landscapes of India are permanently etched in our memories.

If you see the pictures of the village, you will think that is Thar Desert. Unless you are told that these barren brown Himalayan hills dominate the landscape of Lahaul valley.

Lahaul valley is the coldest desert of the country.
Cold, for temperature goes down up to minus 20 degree Celsius.
Desert, because Lahaul scarcely receives rainfall.

Water concerns in cold desert are, naturally, different from hot desert. Water related issues in hot deserts are well documented, water management & rainwater harvesting have entered the public lingua; very few, incidentally, even know about the drought in cold deserts.

To understand the issue, DevelopedNation.org traveled to Lahaul in the November 2007. After conversing with the locals it emerges that much of the drought like condition is a recent phenomenon. Call it indiscriminate cutting of trees or impact of climate change, Lahaul valley receives much less snowfall today than it received a decade ago.

We spoke to Rigzen Dolma, Panchayat Pradhan of Keylong, the district headquarters of Lahaul. A village woman, she explains the situation in Keylong. She may not be an expert to understand the drought in terms of climate change, but her responses conclusively prove that Lahaul valley has become a victim of climate change.

What are the water related problems in your area?
The biggest issue is of less snow fall. A decade or two before, we had lots of snow fall, which provided enough water for our agriculture requirements. However, the situation has changed today. Our farmlands are drying in want of water.

What is the relation of snow fall with agriculture? How much snow you get these days?
The snow, which falls in winters gets accumulated in fields. It melts in summers and gets converted into water. We then transport this water through canals to our farming fields. Community members help each other to ensure water for farming. Canals carry water to various farmers alternatively.

We get much lesser snow today. Earlier, snowfall would begin in November itself and continued throughout the winters. But these days winter months go dry and we get a little snow as late as in February.

And rain?
There is very little rain in keylong. It rains sporadically in a year.

From where do you get drinking water then?
Hilly fountains are the source of water. Administration also provides it through pipe lines.

Are these hilly fountains sufficient for water supply of entire Keylong?
These are enough for drinking water but not sufficient for agriculture. Snow, which was crucial for agriculture, is much lesser today. Even fountains dry up with less snow. Fountains too, ultimately feed on snow.

Why do you have lesser snow fall today?
It is largely due to the indiscriminate cutting of tress & forests. My father-in-law tells once these hills were full of forest cover. People started cutting those for building houses. Forests disappeared & snow fall became lesser.

I am a resident of plain areas. Please share some of your experiences with winters & snow fall.
We have only one cropping season a year. If it snows well, entire Keylong gets covered with snow throughout the winters. Life comes to a stand-still. Therefore we accumulate so much grocery and other necessary things in summers that it works for whole winters. If it snows well, then snow cover goes up to several inches. Snow even reaches up to this window(indicates at a nearby window). Terrace gets covered with snow, we remove snow from there.

Overall, there is little work to do in winters. We engage ourselves in making some handicrafts & carpets.