NEW DELHI: The impact of climate change is being felt in Kashmir as snowfall has lowered over the years and glaciers are losing mass leading to reduced flows in Chenab, Jhelum and Indus. A recent research has highlighted that Srinagar is facing one of the highest black carbon (caused due to incomplete combustion of fossil fuel) pollution, nearly as much as in Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world.
Kashmir University’s department of earth sciences has published a number of studies recently highlighting the severity of water stress and more recently poor air quality in the region.According to Shakil A Romshoo, who heads the department of earth sciences, loss of glaciers in Upper Indus Basin (Hindukush Himalayas, Karakoram and the Himalayan mountain ranges) could be highest among those in the Kashmir valley.