An 86 percent rainfall deficit at the onset of winter is not merely an aberration of weather, it once again reminds us effects of the creeping global climate change in the Valley. What should have been the season of replenishment is instead threatening to turn into a snowless winter, with consequences that may linger far beyond the coming months.

Winter precipitation, particularly snowfall, is the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s hydrological cycle. Snowpack feeds rivers like the Jhelum and its tributaries well into summer, sustaining agriculture, drinking water supplies, and hydropower generation. Its absence is already visible.........

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