{"id":20007994,"date":"2014-04-29T09:52:07","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T04:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=7994"},"modified":"2020-10-01T20:40:45","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T15:10:45","slug":"less-snow-spells-trouble-for-north-pakistan-farmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/climate\/less-snow-spells-trouble-for-north-pakistan-farmers\/","title":{"rendered":"Less snow spells trouble for north Pakistan farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Snow equals water equals good crop\u2026 it\u2019s a simple equation but one that is not working for farmers in Ghizer valley<\/a> in Pakistan\u2019s northern province of Gilgit-Baltistan. In a triple whammy, the snow this year has been hugely deficient, came later than usual and is fast melting, leading to worries about the harvest and their survival.<\/p>\n

Ghizer and the adjoining valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan<\/a> have received 70% less snowfall this year, estimate scientists at the Pakistan Meteorological Department<\/a>.\u00a0 And even this came late. The area normally receives 90% of winter precipitation between November to January and the remaining during February. But this year snowfall season set in after mid-December.<\/p>\n

Besides, the little snowfall that fell is melting faster and almost a month earlier than seen earlier.<\/p>\n

The Ghizer river, the main tributary of the Indus<\/a>, flows through the valley.<\/p>\n

Ghulam Rasool, director general of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, who undertook a special visit to the glacier areas in the Upper Indus basin<\/a> to assess the climatic situation, said the late winter snowfall will have profound implications on water resources and particularly impact farmers.<\/p>\n

Attributing the situation to a change in the pattern of rains, he told thethirdpole.net over the phone: \u201cThis year the snowfall came in late March and even in April\u2026\u00a0 and such snow melts in minutes and has no advantage in term of storage of water\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

According to him, the area also experienced a long and comparatively cold winter. \u201cThe change in the climatic conditions is a challenge for our wisdom and we have to change our lifestyle accordingly and adapt our agriculture to the changing weather pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n

The abrupt change in the weather pattern has led to near panic<\/a> among the farmers \u2013 comprising 80% of the 200,000 population of Ghizer district which encompasses several mountain valleys \u2013 who depend entirely on glacial-fed mountain streams.
\nJaffar Khan from Thoi village, in the extreme north of Ghizer valley, is one of those wondering how he will manage this year. \u201cNo snowfall means no irrigation water and no water means no crops in the entirely irrigation dependent areas,\u201d Jaffar said as he watered his maize field.<\/p>\n

According to farmers in the area, the snows started melting as March set in. In the past, the melt would begin mid or late April and provide water for summer crops like maize, potato and wheat for which sowing begins after March.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is worried about the future of our crop if the snow melts quickly and there is no more water flow in the mountain streams in late May and June when summer crops like maize and potato as well as fruit orchards need rounds of watering,\u201d added Azam Khan, a maize farmer in the village of Barkulti Yasin.<\/p>\n

Farmers in the area, he said, grew only one crop due to the extreme weather. \u201cIf it gets damaged due to any reason, it means we don\u2019t have the product for entire year,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cFresh snowfall is critical for mountain farming in valleys in the Upper Indus basin,\u201d agreed Khan Aman, a farmer from Ishkoman valley located between the Hindukush<\/a> and the Karakoram<\/a> mountains.<\/p>\n

The mountain valleys in the Upper Indus basin receive one to two feet snowfall normally in the low lying areas and more in high-altitude areas. \u201cBut this year we have received almost zero snowfall,\u201d he said.
\n\"traditional<\/a>
\n<\/a>
\nSeveral glacial-fed water springs that have flowed for centuries are drying up. With scarcely any snow recorded the entire winter, the situation is dire. This has depleted glaciers. The fast melting glaciers could also lead to floods.<\/p>\n

Musa Khan, head of research at the met department\u2019s Weather Observatory Station, said the deficient snow broke a 26-year record.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a larger picture too. The problem of less snow has a cascading effect, impacting not just the high altitude areas. Heavy snowfall in the winters guarantees a prosperous summer for the rest of the country too as the rivers get flowing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With 70 % less snow that came late and is melting fast, farmers in Pakistan\u2019s Gilgit-Baltistan province are worried about their crops and how they will cope through the year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20000191,"featured_media":20014162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[761],"tags":[519,50040317,20000022,50040707],"hashtags":[],"country":[20000112],"class_list":["post-20007994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","tag-climate-impacts","tag-farming","tag-himalayas","tag-the-third-pole","country-pakistan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLess snow spells trouble for north Pakistan farmers | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With 70 % less snow that came late and is melting fast, farmers in Pakistan\u2019s Gilgit-Baltistan province are worried about their crops and how 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