Dhauladhar glaciers recede at fast pace
High temperatures in November and no ice on Dhauladhar mountain ranges overlooking the region raise questions over water security in the Kangra valley. A scientific study has proved that glaciers in the Dhauladhars are receding at a fast pace, implying likely water scarcity in the Kangra valley.
The study conducted by four scientists Shahi Kant Rai and Sunil Dhar of the Central University of Jammu, Rakesh Sahu from Galgotias university and Arun Kumar from Himachal Pradesh University has established that a number of glaciers in the Dhauldhars have receded while the number of glacial lakes in the region has increased between 2,000 and 2,020. The study was published in the Journal of Indian Society of Remote Sensing in March 2024.
The study, which was based on satellite imagery of the Dhauladhars, has established that the glaciers in the region that were spread in about 50.8 square kilometres have reduced to 42.84 square kilometre between 2010 and 2020. The number of glacial lakes in the Dhauladhars has increased from 36 in 2000 to 43 in 2020.
The scientists say that the increase in the number of glacial lakes in the Dhauladhars is indicative of fast melting glaciers in the region.
Increased accumulation of season’s temperature (winter time) is the primary cause of the reduction of glacier coverage. The increase in the number of glacial lakes requires the formulation of a risk assessment strategy for future lake outbursts in the region, the scientists have concluded in the study.
The scientists have said that there is strong evidence of the presence of glaciers in the region that have now completely deglaciated because of climate change.
The Dhauladhars originate in the east of the Rohtang Pass in Kullu district and span across entire Kangra district. They terminate in the northwestern region of Dalhousie in Chamba district. These mountains exhibit a range of 1,000 m to more than 6,000 m above sea level, with a mean height of 4,000 m. The Dhauldhars are also a source of the Ravi that originates in the Bara Bhangal region of the Kangra valley.
Prof AK Mahajan from the Department of Environment Science in the Central University Himachal of Pradesh (CUHP), says that the Dhuladhars is not part of the Himalayas. It is comparatively a small Batholithic mountain range ranging from Mandi to Kangra districts . The Batholithic mountains are large emplacements of igneous intrusive rocks that are formed from cool magna deep in the earth’s crust, he adds.
Number of glacial lakes rises to 43
The glacial area has reduced from 50.8 sq km to 42.84 sq km in past 10 years
The number of glacial lakes has increased from 36 to 43
Scientists say that the increase in the number of glacial lakes in the Dhauladhars is indicative of fast melting glaciers in the region
The receding snow is likely to have impact on the weather and water sources in the Kangra valley
The glaciers in the Dhauladhars are small in size but play a major role in round-the-year water supply to rivulets flowing through the Kangra valley
