Snow disappears from Uttarakhand's Om Parvat for first time ever, experts raise alarm
Pithoragarh, Aug 27: Snow disappeared completely for the first time ever from Uttarkahand's Om Parvat last week, leaving visitors wondering what was wrong.
Experts attributed the phenomenon to scanty rain and scattered snowfall in the upper Himalayan region over the past five years, rise in vehicular pollution, and global warming.
An official had said the tourism in the region could get impacted if the hill remained snowless for a longer period. However, snowfall on Monday night brought back snow to Om Parvat.
Om Parvat, a popular tourist spot in Vyas valley, is located at an altitude of around 14,000 feet. The snow atop the hill naturally forms a pattern resembling the Hindi word "Om", which is how the spot derived its name.
"It was really disappointing to see Om Parvat which has a reputation of being eternally clad in snow, utterly devoid of it when I went there on August 16," a visitor said.
Showing snowless photos of the Om Parvat clicked by her, Urmila Sanwal, a resident of Gunji village here, said, "There was no snow on the 'Om' shaped hill. The spot was barely recognisable without snow."
Dhan Singh Bisht, who is in charge of the base camp of Adi Kailash yatra in Dharchula, said, "It is for the first time in my 22 years of service in Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam that I saw a completely snowless Om Parvat."
The annual snow melting rate at Om Parvat used to be 95-99 per cent earlier, but this year it melted completely, the KMVN official said.
However, after snowfall on Monday night, snow has returned to Om Parvat, Bisht said.
Bisht, who has a 20-year experience of organising the Kailash-Mansarowar and Adi Kailash yatras, said the district administration officials in Pithoragarh who were taken aback to see viral photos of a snowless Om Parvat have had a sigh of relief with snow returning to the popular tourist spot.
Scanty rain and scattered snowfall in the upper Himalayan region over the past five years may have been the reason behind total disappearance of snow this year from Om Parvat, he said.
Sunil Nautiyal, Director of GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Almora, attributed the disappearance of snow to the rising temperature in the eco sensitive zones of the Himalayan region due to increased number of fuel-driven vehicles, besides the general phenomenon of global warming.
"To check this, we will have to determine the bearing capacity of all sensitive places of the high Himalayan region as well as rampant forest fires as carbon generated by forest fires is also damaging the sensitive spots in the Himalayan region," Nautiyal said.
A manifold increase in tourist footfall in the region following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jolingkong in October last year is also seen as a factor behind the phenomenon.
"Tourist footfall has gone up 10 times since Modi's visit to Jolingkong for a darshan of the Adi Kailash peak," said Krishna Garbiyal, a resident of Garbiyang village of Vyas valley.
बर्फ पिघलने के कारण ॐ पर्वत की आकृति अदृश्य हो गई है। वैसे तो इस सीजन में हमेशा बर्फ कम होती है लेकिन इस बार ज़्यादा बर्फ पिघलने से ॐ पर्वत पर ॐ की आकृति नहीं दिख रही है। स्थानीय लोगों का कहना है कि इस बार यात्रा में हर दिन हज़ारों यात्रियों और वाहनों के आने से ये स्थिति पैदा हो… pic.twitter.com/Rjve9L82t4
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
