“Climate change is a global problem and we need to find the solution to the problem at the global level” says Shakil Romshoo a scientist working on Climate Change in Kashmir.
Shakil Romshoo, a Scientist working on climate Change is also a Professor and Program Coordinator (Geoinformatics) at University of Kashmir. Armed with a multi-disciplinary education and research background he has worked across different countries and continents. His current interests are climate change impacts on Water Resources, Glaciology and integrated environmental Analysis. He has a good experience of hydrological, erosion and pesticide modeling with specialization in Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics, Hydrological/erosion Modeling, Climate Change, and Glaciology. In conversation with Senior PI Reporter Nusrat Ara
PI: How has climate change affected the state of Jammu and Kashmir?
SR: The impacts of climate change are quite clear and louder in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. With the rise in the temperatures, particularly the winter temperatures, we are receiving lesser snow precipitation in winter. Snow and glacier melt is very important for the state of Jammu and Kashmir as various sectors of the economy are dependent on the waters emanating from the melting of snow and glaciers in the mountains. It is therefore quite evident that the Climate change has impact almost on every sector in the state; be it drinking water supplies, irrigation, hydropower generation, wetlands etc.
PI: What are the challenges that it has brought?
SR: With the depletion of water resources, we are going to witness further shrinking of wetlands, conversion of paddy lands into horticulture, scarcity of drinking water supplies, and probably more frequent and disastrous floods in the state.
PI: What is the biggest problem that people in Kashmir are facing, something that needs to be redressed immediately?
SR: Climate change is basically a global phenomenon and there need to be concrete actions by the nation states to bring down the Green House Gas emissions. The promotion of low carbon economy and green growth can help to bring down the pace of climate change.
PI: What is the status of glaciers in Jammu and Kashmir?
SR: There is credible evidence that the glaciers in the Kashmir Himalayas are responding to the climate change. The rising temperatures and scanty snowfall in the winters have reduced the mass of the glaciers. Several dozens of smaller glaciers have completely vanished during the last 50 years in the state. The rate of recession of the Kashmir Himalayan glaciers is a cause of concerns for the common man.
PI: What is the impact of this change on everyday lives?
SR: The main issues are
a) Shortage of drinking water supplies in several regions of the state
b) Foods shortage due to the Conversion of agriculture lands to Horticulture and other land use types
c) Shrinking of wetlands in the state and thus affecting the livelihood of the people dependent on the services from the wetlands
PI: Have we reached a point of no return, or there are things we can do?
SR: As I said the climate change is a global problem and we need to find the solution to the problem at the global level. The binding and credible measures and frameworks need to be established at the international and national level to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the region. Further, there is need to develop a robust strategy to adapt to the climate change. This involves taking steps to conserve the water resources, increasing the forest cover to sequester more carbon in the forests, efficient public mass transit transport system to reduce the emissions from the use of fossil fuels, Conservation of energy resources and adapting energy efficient measures.
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