Every year, millions of domestic and foreign tourists go to the state of Himachal Pradesh because of its stunning natural surroundings, including the snow-capped Himalayas and breathtaking sceneries. But a never-ending sequence of landslides, cloudbursts, and flash floods has engulfed the mountainous state. The frequency and severity of severe climatic events, such as riverine and flash floods, avalanches, cloud bursts, landslides, and forest fires, have risen in the state of Himachal Pradesh as a result of changing temperature and rainfall patterns in the region.
One of the problems brought on by the erosion of the top soil layer is the frequent occurrence of landslides. Furthermore, Himachal’s cement industries and hydro projects pose a serious threat to the marine life there.
In August 2021, numerous cars, including a bus carrying 24 passengers, were crushed by a landslide on a highway near Nigulsari in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district. At least 10 persons, including five women and a two-year-old kid, were killed, while 60 more were reportedly trapped beneath rubble.
There is no other way to preserve the earth, according to environmentalist Aarna Wadhawan, who claims that humans are the ones who have ruined it. To encourage children to take action against soil erosion, she visited Pinegrove School in Kasauli yesterday. Aarna forewarned the children that if they did not act to halt the deforestation calamity, the planet would suffer the repercussions and they would be accountable for the climate issue. The children are the future leaders of the nation. She brought up the catastrophe in Kinnaur, which was brought on by a very severe downpour.
Himachal is suffering as a result of disregarded climate change warnings. Aarna Wadhawan taught the Pinegrove School pupils in Himachal how to stop soil erosion by planting trees. She went over the significance of growing vegetation with them.
Climate change is evident in the Himalayan snow cover in Himachal Pradesh, which feeds four main river systems, which has decreased by 18% in a year. The seasonal snow cover adds to the river discharge during the lean season, thus if the snowfall pattern shifts as has been witnessed over the previous several years, it will have long-term effects on water availability in river basins. If such irregular patterns persist for a long time, they have an impact on the weather cycle, leading to erratic heat, snowfall, and rain, and eventually affecting the availability of water.
Earlier, a week of nice rain would last, but now the number of wet days has dropped and the amount of rain has gotten heavier.
The glaciers are currently melting quickly as well. Flash floods are brought on by the combination of heavy rain and water from glaciers. The large, chilly clouds are colliding with the rising warm breezes. In the form of cloudbursts, the moisture therefore falls quite heavily. Floods and landslides caused by the cloudburst episodes then seriously destroy the state’s infrastructure.
