As blood is to body, water is to life. Have we ever contemplated from where the water comes to the tap in our kitchens and bathrooms? Have we pondered that there is a direct link between our tap and some glacier high on the mountains somewhere around Pahalgam or Sonamarg. If something untoward happens to the glaciers, our taps will run dry, and so will lives. Not alarmed yet? Read this: Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding at a faster rate compared to other glacial regions in the world, and these include glaciers of Kashmir. We have lost 18% of the Kolhai Glacier, the main source of drinking water and irrigation in the valley, in the last 40 years. A research by National Geographic shows that the glacier is retreating by almost ten feet a year. The matter of concern is that it is melting at a fast rate even after the onset of winter. A study on Kolhai Glacier conducted by remote sensing by the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, revealed that its spatial extent has changed from 19.34 Km² in 1992 to 17.23 Km² in 2001, a net decrease of 2.11 Km² in 10 years.

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