'Om' goes missing from Om Parvat due to melting snow, eco-crusaders concerned

DEHRADUN/PITHORAGARH: Om Parvat, situated in Byas valley in Dharchula tehsil of Pithoragarh district at an elevation of 18,324 feet, recently lost much of its snow cover at a pace that was never seen before. The rapid melting of snow caused the naturally-appearing 'Om' symbol (formed due to a snow pattern on the mountain) to disappear, leaving the mountain appearing bare and black.
Although a fresh bout of snowfall on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday led to the reappearance of the snowline (and the 'Om' symbol) on the peak, the unusual occurrence has raised alarm among locals as well as environment experts, who attribute the situation to global warming, ongoing construction activities and increased tourist footfall.
Commenting on the matter, Hemant Pande, a senior scientist at the Defence Agriculture Research Laboratory in Pithoragarh, said that the disappearance of snow on the mountain was mainly due to global warming and microclimate changes. "Unplanned tourism, construction and development are the major contributing factors. Increased human activities and movement of vehicles have also raised temperatures in the area," Pande further said.
Meteorological officials said that factors such as scanty rainfall during the pre-monsoon season, heatwave in June, above-normal temperatures and reduced snowfall might have also contributed to the situation.
Bikram Singh, director of the regional meteorological centre in Dehradun, told TOI, "Maximum temperatures in May and June remained consistently high this year, reaching five-six degrees Celsius above normal even in the hills. These prolonged high temperatures are contributing to snow melting in the higher elevation areas."
Krishan Garbyal, a local resident from Garbyang village, said, "I have never seen the mountain with so less snow in the 50 years of my life." He recalled that "before road access was established, fewer than 2,000 people could visit Om Parvat and Adi Kailash but now, the number was significantly higher."
According to Dharchula tehsil officials, since the completion of a road to the area in 2020 and a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023, the number of tourists have significantly surged, with over 20,000 visitors recorded this year.