As a result, a sudden spurt in snowfall and rainfall is now a reality as far as the Himalayas are concerned, which urgently need the latest green technology being used in the USA and Switzerland to combat climate change, they say.

The Himalayas, the largest source of fresh water and the country’s snow crown, have experienced a significant rise of 1.7°C in the average winter temperature during the past 100 years, said Dr MR Bhutiyani, a scientist, in an exclusive interview with The Tribune on the sidelines of a three-day international symposium on climate change and cryosphere at the SASE headquarters. Dr Bhutiyani heads the Hazard Assessment and Forecasting Division, Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE).

He has sifted through data of the past 140 years on snow and rainfall in the Himalayan region to arrive at this conclusion. Dr Bhutiyani observes that the average snowfall in the Himalayas has decreased by 15 to 20 per cent, which is quite significant.

The SASE observatory experienced over 4 m of snow this winter. However, it is less than the average snowfall recorded in the region during the past 140 years, he asserts.

Dr Bhutiyani says this rise of 1.7°C in the temperature is not alarming. The glaciers and ice cover are receding and melting fast, but it is not resulting in a surge in the discharge of the Beas, the Sutlej, the Chenab, the Ravi and other rivers in the north-west, he observes.

This is because the average snowfall in the Himalayas has decreased by 15 to 20 per cent, Dr Bhutiyani says. “Now, the region is experiencing a sudden spurt in snowfall and rainfall, leading to freak cloudbursts, avalanches and flash floods like the ones that have hit Leh, Fingri Nullah near Manali and an avalanche in the Kashmir Valley recently,” he adds.

The scientists attribute the rise in the winter temperature partly to global warming and partly to a surge in the traffic and pollution in the high-altitude Manali-Rohtang-Lahaul-Leh-Ladakh region during the summer season. The carbon deposits emitted by heavy traffic lead to a rise temperature, reducing the winter span, they add. The winter now starts late in November in the high-altitude region and ends in March. “The rise in the winter temperature will continue if the movement of traffic and emission of green house gases in the region is not checked by green technologies,” the scientists caution.

They say climate change can be checked as has been achieved in Switzerland. They use electric trolleys for transport and use non-conventional sources of energy.

Dr Bhutiyani says the USA has been painting “barren peaks white in summers” that reflect the sun rays back into space, reducing the local temperature. “We also need snow-harvesting structures in the Himalayas to reduce climate change, he adds.

Dr Naresh Kumar of the Indian Meteorological Department says the precipitation in the Himalayas has decreased. It is hard to predict cloudbursts as they need Doppler radars for the exact data, he adds.