When Mountains Sweat, Pay Heed

Editorial:-
Not just experts, even lay people and mass media are now noticing the change in weather patterns all over the world. The mountains are getting warmer, the plains getting colder and weather hitting extremes at unexpected times. All these are symptomatic of Climate Change, a fact that cannot be denied or wished away anymore. Even as the debate continues over the developed world’s attempts at browbeating the third world nations to sacrifice more to manage the world environment, regions close to ice need to get more concerned and start undertaking studies and working solutions on their own. Ice caps – the polar regions and the glacier fields – feel the impact of climate change first. North and west Sikkim are crisscrossed by many glaciers which are the frozen fountains of life for the State. Most times people do not realise the importance of glaciers to Sikkim since life does not directly depend on glacier-fed rivers in Sikkim and most times people tap into mountain springs for water. But such disconnect is only superficial and at the end of the day, the water cycle goes back to glaciers. Hence, the cultivation, the rivers and their hydel potential are all sourced from these glaciers and now that hydro-power has so much invested in it as the economic deliverer for the State, it becomes imperative that the source of this potential is better studied and understood. Sikkim has had its glaciers studied and while the commissioning of the study was welcome, it has to be a continuing effort and a glacier watch needs to be set up. Some of Sikkim’s glaciers have increased, some reports suggest and even that is not necessarily good news. Elsewhere, Himalayan glaciers are reported to be receding at the rate of 10 to 15 metres on an average every year. The longest glacier in the Eastern Himalaya – the 10 mile long Zemu Glacier in north Sikkim is believed by many to not be in the best of healths. This glacier feeds the Teesta on which many hydel projects have been planned. The glaciers of West Sikkim have also been in fast recession for nearly a century now and most of them are hanging glaciers now, their course in the valley now just a litter of glacial debris. Given the fact that 70 percent of the world’s fresh water is frozen in glaciers, it is surprising that not enough is being done to save them and contain their recession. This is probably because the scientists and decision makers prefer the plains and share their data only among their clique and have seldom made their findings coherent enough for the stakeholders to understand. But the problem is already too clear and present to waste time pointing fingers. The finds of the study of glaciers commissioned by the State Government should be considered for inclusion in school curriculums so that the young can grow up learning how things are and then hopefully develop a connection with the canaries of climate change and learn to take better care of the water towers.