NEW DELHI,21 Jan 2026 : Uttarakhand is facing an unprecedented environmental warning as the winter season progresses without snowfall, raising serious concerns over the survival of glaciers and rivers in the Himalayan region.
As the month of January draws to a close, the upper Himalayan ranges usually blanketed in thick layers of snow are starkly bare. Snow-clad peaks that once defined the winter landscape have turned into dark, exposed mountain chains, unsettling scientists, environmentalists, and local communities alike.
Environmental activist Anup Nautiyal describes this phenomenon as nothing short of a climate emergency. The absence of snowfall is not merely an unusual weather event; it signals a deeper ecological crisis with far-reaching consequences. Glaciers, which depend on sustained snowfall for their regeneration, are now at a risk of accelerated melting. If glaciers decline, rivers will inevitably weaken, many turning nearly lifeless over time.”
Experts feel that this crisis extends far beyond the mountains. The Himalayan peaks adjoining the national capital region play a crucial role in sustaining North India’s river systems. If these glaciers falter, it is impossible for Delhi and the vast plains of northern India to remain insulated from the fallout. The drying of rivers threatens water security, agriculture, and livelihoods across the entire Ganga Yamuna basin, impacting millions.
Nautiyal blames the failure of snowfall this season as being seen not only as a natural anomaly but also as the outcome of prolonged policy failures. Despite mounting evidence of climate change rising temperatures, shrinking glaciers, and vanishing water sources—governments have failed to present a credible roadmap to protect rivers and fragile mountain ecosystems.
Climate change is now visibly reshaping the Himalayas. Rapid glacial melt will severely affect tributaries of the Ganga and Yamuna, groundwater reserves, and the livelihoods dependent on them.
In the hills, snow is not just a seasonal occurrence, it is life itself. Its absence has already begun to dry up rivers, streams, and mountain springs. Agriculture, animal husbandry, and drinking water supplies are under growing strain.
Most alarming is the apparent lack of urgency at both the central and state levels. Neither the Union government nor the governments of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh appear to be engaged in serious reflection or action on this looming disaster.
In Uttarakhand, critics allege that the ruling BJP government remains preoccupied with the upcoming elections,just eleven months away,showing little inclination to convene even a high-level meeting on the crisis.
Water resources expert Suresh Chandra Pant said “As neglect continues, millions living in the Himalayan region are being pushed toward an environmental catastrophe. Mr Pant former MD State Paijal Nigam Said that the repercussions will not be confined to the mountains alone but will cascade across the plains, threatening the lives and livelihoods of crores of people in the Ganga Yamuna heartland.”
[Writer is Senior Journalist and Political Commentator]
