Bitter cold at the onset of summers in Munsiyari
Bitter cold at the onset of summers in Munsiyari
B.D. Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, March 6
After witnessing long spell of dry weather in the winter from the month of November 2023 to January 2024, residents of high altitude Munsiyari region are witnessing biting cold in the ongoing month of March, that has resulted into freezing of water springs and ponds.
According to sources, the water in Munsiyari Tal, Thamari kund, Nanda Kund and Suraj kund has been frozen these days. “All these water bodies are situated at more than 2300 meters from sea level,” said the villagers.
“While the high altitude region of Munsiyari witnessed only two snowfalls in the past four months duration from November 23 to January 24, while it has snowed six times from February to March this year,” said Puran Pandey, a resident of Munsiyari.
According to local residents, the night temperature in Munsiyari and adjoining regions has dropped down to minus degree celsius these days and in such chilling conditions the locals residing above 2400 meters and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawans deputed on the Indo-China border posts are boiling snow to get drinking water.”We have never seen such rapid variations in weather in which the entire winter remains snowless and beginning of summer gets heavy snowfall,” said Brijesh Singh Dharmasaktu, an eco-park owner in Munsiyari.
The villagers of 12 villages of upper regions of Munsiyari, who reached their villages after winter migration to cultivate local cereals in summer, said that if snowfall continues in this month, the summer migration could be delayed by another 15 days.”Generally, we used to reach our villages from winter migration by April 15, every year but if such a weather continues, it could delay affecting production of our traditional crops of Palthi, Phaphar and local pulses,” claimed Rajendra Singh Rawat, a resident of Munsiyari.
