Climate chaos in Kashmir can change the color of our good, and much more

Although it had already rained, the puffy gray clouds did not leave Srinagar. The midday sun crept past the lush green mountains. The greenish-brown Jhelum had bulged behind the rice buds.

I was in Kashmir, chasing the chaos of the climate. Alarm bells were ringing as rising temperatures had a detrimental effect on water security and agriculture in the region. Some areas have already reported increases in average temperatures from March to April, raising them from 15-20 degrees Celsius to more than 30 degrees Celsius. The Departments of Agriculture and Irrigation in Uri and adjacent areas were to issue notices directing farmers to substitute rice for maize.

dry tree. Outbreaks of fungal diseases in forests are often symptoms of climatic stress. Photo: Indra Shekhar Singh.

In order to study these changes, the next fourteen days were spent between Uri and Pahalgam, trying to figure out which direction Kashmir was heading.

water dries up

My first destination was Kamalkot, a border village in Uri where the land is still plowed by oxen plows and people drink straight from the freshwater springs. Here I met Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Khan, a Pradhan village and a former soldier. Before I entered his house, Khan pointed to a fresh water faucet, beckoning me to take a sip. I stepped down and did it.

“This is the cleanest water, and it is almost alive,” Khan noted. “If you drink this, you will not get any disease.” I can’t accept more.

Khan explained that Kamalkot was a village on the edge, often hit by Pakistani shells. All life — its 4,900 residents and upwards of 10,000 goats and cattle — plus property, is at risk of joining the unknown victims of the cross-border shooting.

However, it was the 2005 earthquake that disrupted life in Kamalkot. This area includes about 250 acres of farmland and few natural sources of water, but due to the earthquake, the water changed its course. Khan explained that until the spring he drinks from the cut.

I spent the day in the village talking to the locals about farming. Earlier, farmers here grew rajma, corn, rice and mustard. Now, all food, including milk, comes from the market. Much of this is due to the construction of new roads in the surrounding areas and the village experiences a 20% water drop.

Over the next few days, I traveled to other areas of Uri—Namla, Bighama, Jingal, Rustam, and others, to see how climate change is affecting agriculture there.

Read also: Time to notify government of climate change in Kashmir

The situation was not happy. Most of these places reported early sowing due to excessive heat and rapid shrinkage of water resources. Overall, each region recorded a 25-30% reduction in snowfall and precipitation.

I sat with some farmers in Branwar, a small village in Limber village in Boniyar tehsil, not far from the Indian Army border fence. Ali Muhammad Lun, a farmer, was tiling his fields with oxen, to prepare the soil for growing corn. “Since I was a kid, snowfall has decreased by over 50%. This year too, there has been almost no snowfall. Nala has reduced too,” Lone said.

Dry and polluted Nala in Uri. Photo: Indra Shekhar Singh.

Higher temperatures, lower yields

On my way to Uri, I met Dr. Sajjad Shafi in Pandey, who spoke to me about the changing times. “We have never experienced such heat in May. This year we have seen a rise in temperatures of at least 8-10 degrees in April and May,” Dr. Shafee said.

After that, I met the Cultivation Sub-Division official Daljit Singh. “We have about 16,000 families working in agriculture. Climate change and excessive heat are really affecting the area. The water in the area has decreased, because it is difficult to raise water from the river. Even the government has already issued a notice to farmers to switch to maize. [cultivation] of rice.

But were other regions also in trouble? From Uri, past the Jhelum River, I reached Srinagar. After spending the day running around the villages there, I reached Pulwama to the south with two people – Sana and Masoud Hussain. Sana works with female farmers in Pulwama and grows chemical-free strawberries.

The sun was setting behind the Pir Panjal mountain range and our hands were busy plucking fresh, juicy strawberries from the ground. However, I soon discovered that climate change was threatening these little red fruits as well.

Sana Masoud with other farmers on her strawberry farm in Pulwama. Photo: Indra Shekhar Singh.

“Because of the climatic chaos, our spring has not come. We went straight from winter temperatures to summer temperatures. The plants were stressed and we saw early flowering, which led to lower yields.” There was not enough vegetative growth, Sana explained. To support healthy fruiting. Usually, strawberries are harvested in late May and early June, but due to climate change, it happened a month earlier. ”

Sana and her farmers were confused by the untimely rainfall, high temperatures, and how their semi-organic plants reacted. “Because of the weather, our plants are experiencing a second, sudden flowering. This is very unusual and the plant health is also poor. Overall, we had about a 50% decrease in the first flush,” Sana said.

I found that strawberries are not alone in suffering, as Sana explained about cherries. “Even in cherries, early rainfall resulted in cherry bursting and diseases on the fruit. The agriculture department’s solution is to drench them in fungicides, chemical fertilizers and the like. Being environmentally conscious farmers, we don’t use chemicals. Plus, I can’t sell Fruits laden with agricultural toxins for consumers, it is not true.”

Cherry harvest was affected by hailstorms in Srinagar. Hail storms are a new phenomenon for many Kashmiri farmers. Photo: Indra Shekhar Singh.

Back in Srinagar, it was time for me to take a lesson on the climate history of Dal Lake. My mentor was Abdul-Mir, a veteran navigator.

“I played cricket and drove motorbikes in this particular lake. But now, the ice isn’t very thick. Especially this year, very little snow. Given my age, I wouldn’t risk any bike stuff, but even so, it’s getting much warmer,” he said. mir.

The next morning, on the motorway south, I reached the beautiful Anantnag district and met a butt in the village of Sir Hamdan, in the 35-degree sunshine. We searched for shade in the thick apple orchard where Okeep works, but we couldn’t find any.

Akib has been working with apple growers for some time. Climate change is a major issue now that this region is starting to experience hailstorms, which are causing the loss of apples. Even the temperature rose sharply, and it shouldn’t be more than 24-25 degrees Celsius right now, but look, we’re both sweating.”

He also told me that the cycles of shooting and planting leaves also change randomly, which affects fruit yields and farmers’ profits.

After speaking to Aqib, I stopped at the village of Khiar and spoke with two brothers from Chopin – Gula and Abd Muhammad. Their story was not very different.

Together, the brothers grow a variety of fruits – cherries, walnuts, kiwis and apples; But they all seemed to be under the weather. Since there is no rain in March and April, walnut production has decreased. The brothers explained that due to a few years of reduced snow and rain, all fruit crops declined.

Read also: With every harvest season, walnut harvest in Kashmir increases

During our conversation, it became clear that prior to this year, the area received a few feet of snow and a lot more rain. But those days are over.

After that I went to Pahalgam and climbed among the mountain goats and the shepherds of these mountains. After a grueling hike, I reached a level high enough to be nearly in contact with a lump of melted ice. Here, I sat by a tall pine tree and met Kassem Abhunger, a 52-year-old shepherd. “This year, we’ve reached lower altitudes for grass and water. In fact, the past five to eight years have been very hot and harsh for goats. Ice also doesn’t stay long,” he said.

A boy tends mountain goats while grazing in Beitab Valley. Photo: Indra Shekhar Singh.

The color of our good

Aside from the desperation of farmers and herders, the drying up of waterfalls and springs and profuse sweating from the sweltering heat, climatic chaos is reaping another victim in Kashmir: native saffron.

Read also: Why are the saffron fields in Kashmir shrinking

As a last resort, I sat down with the saffron growers of Bambur. Their brown, grassy fields overlook gorgeous snowy peaks. Here, I met Irshad Ahmed Dar, a progressive saffron grower. He was very concerned about crop losses due to climate change.

Crops of saffron depend on rain and snowfall. In the past few years, we’ve been experiencing a drought, and so far, we’ve lost 40% of our crops. We need solutions soon, otherwise the remaining 60% of this wonderful crop may also be damaged by climate change.

Honestly, I’m afraid for the color of our good! But if things do not improve, not only will the original saffron suffer, but Kashmir itself will suffer; Its waters, its inhabitants, and the millions of trees that make it a paradise, all stand on the brink of impending climate catastrophe. The only question that remains for us is – can we, all together, save this paradise?

Indra Shekhar Singh is an independent agricultural policy analyst. He was Director of Policy and Outreach, National Seed Association of India. He is the presenter and creator of the ‘Krishi Ki Baat’ series from The Wire. Tweet @IndraSsingh.

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