Global warming and its 1000 dangerous effects on Parvati Valley

Parvati Valley is known for its immense beauty and the years old hippie culture and vibe. This valley is located in the lower Himalayan region of the state of Himachal Pradesh. The major part of the valley runs eastwards and is known for its confluence of the two main rivers that run here, the Beas and the Parvati river.

Weather in Parvati

The general weather conditions are cold winds and sweltering heat during the day and thorough cold gusts of wind during the night. The valley stretches all the way from the village of Mandi to the entrance of Kullu bypass.

Traveling through the valley promises beautiful views of both the rivers gushing with all their power and the pretty little villages located on the sides of the mountains.

Global Warming has been the root cause for many extreme climate changes in these past few years. Dwindling lakes and forests, increase in animal husbandry, polluted water streams, as well as poor air quality have all been a result of human activity that have contributed to the growth of global warming.  Mother Nature however, has not spared Parvati valley from the effects of severe climate change and global warming caused by the varied efforts of human activity.

Climate

The effects of climate change have affected the livelihood and survival of the humans living there. Ranging from heat waves to extreme flash floods and thunderstorms, global warming has been a major factor in altering the weather patterns and conditions throughout the valley.

Starting from the beginning, extreme weather changes took place during the monsoon of the year 2021, during the months of July and August where Parvati Valley faced a number of flash floods and landslides all which resulted in the loss of lives as well as infrastructure.

Flash floods

Flash floods were a result of an increase in ice melting from the snow capped mountains situated just behind the enormous valley. Landslides were a result of the constant construction work being undertaken throughout the valley which seemed to have weakened the grip of the land on itself. 

During the summer of 2022, Parvati Valley faced a total of 21 days of heat waves along with the rest of the state resulting in the rapid melting of Himalayan ice caps. The temperature hit a record breaking 31.9 degrees celsius. A fear of flash floods has been running through the officials of the region. Markings have been put up all along the roads in the valley in order for people to be vary in case a flash flood situation occurs.

Monsoon

Generally, the monsoon season in the valley begins by the start of the month of May and goes on till the end of August. The severe effects of global warming in 2022, have delayed the rainfall by 15-20 days bringing utmost difficulties to the agriculture of the valley. Thunderstorms in the region have lessened and the number of extremely cold days have also decreased bringing pressure and stress upon the glaciers, rivers and water streams.

The absence of rainfall has been described as a result of the absence of active western disturbances in the air above. The hot winds blowing in from Pakistan also contribute to the extremely hot weather conditions.

Rainfall

Unprecedented rainfalls and thunderstorms have destroyed apple and tomato farms delaying the farming time for the farmers and people living here. Reducing snowfall and cold weather has also been one major concern for the people living in Parvati Valley as it results in stressful conditions for them to live in.

The people of Parvati Valley are taking certain measures to ensure that the effects of global warming do not affect them or their livelihood by building stronger infrastructure, securing loose rocks and building pathways for river water to travel through without disrupting the daily lives of locals. 

We as humans of Earth need to realise the devastating effects of climate change and global warming as take necessary steps to reverse it.