Even the animals seem confused': a retreating Kashmir glacier is creating an entire new world in its wake

"Once a vast white artery feeding rivers, fields and forests, it is now retreating steadily, leaving bare rock, crevassed ice and newly exposed alpine meadows. The glacier's meltwater has sustained paddy fields, apple orchards, saffron fields and grazing pastures for centuries. Now, as its ice diminishes, the entire web of life it supported is shifting. Alpine flowers bloom earlier, confusing pollinators. Musk deer and ibex lose grazing grounds, and snow leopards are increasingly spotted near villages as they run out of food to hunt."

"Historical records show that Kolahoi has been shrinking since the mid-19th century. A 2020 satellite assessment found it had lost almost a quarter of its area over nearly six decades, while its snout had retreated about 900 meters since 1978. Between 1980 and 2018, agricultural land in the glacier's Lidder watershed fell by almost 40%, reflecting the direct link between glacial retreat and water availability. This glacier is the lifeline of the Lidder and Sind rivers, says researcher Labeeb Gulzar."

Kolahoi glacier has transformed from an extensive ice artery into thinning ice, bare rock and new alpine meadows as it retreats. Meltwater from the glacier historically sustained paddy fields, apple orchards, saffron fields and grazing pastures, but reduced ice is diminishing water availability and shrinking agricultural land. Satellite assessments report almost a quarter of the glacier's area lost over six decades and a snout retreat of about 900 meters since 1978; Lidder watershed agricultural land fell nearly 40% between 1980 and 2018. Ecological shifts include earlier alpine blooms, disrupted pollinators, reduced grazing for musk deer and ibex, increased snow leopard sightings near villages, and shrinking grasslands and altered streams impacting shepherds and livestock.

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