Enviro team completes 15k-feet Kanakata Pass trek in 3 days amid heavy snowfall

Sonali MishraBageshwar: Environmentalist Chandan Singh Nayal and his team completed the 15,092ft Kanakata Pass trek in the remote Sunderdhunga Glacier region of Bageshwar district in three days, from May 5 to May 7, despite heavy snowfall through the route. Nayal said the expedition was aimed not only at high-altitude trekking but also at assessing changes in the Himalayan environment and the impact of climate change on glaciers.The team completed the challenging route from Jatoli to Jatoli while negotiating snow-covered terrain, sub-zero temperatures and continuous snowfall. The expedition was led by Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM)-trained guide Jeetu Danu, with Mohan Danu also accompanying the team, whose local experience and mountaineering skills helped the group complete the ascent safely.Nayal told TOI that the team undertook the expedition to document field-level signs of environmental change in the higher Himalayas. He said the condition of glaciers had become a growing concern because winter snowfall had reduced and late-season snow was not helping glacier formation in the same way.“This winter witnessed extremely low snowfall, depriving glaciers of the natural strengthening they require. The snowfall occurring now in May is loose and unstable, melting almost immediately as temperatures rise. This is not a healthy sign for glacier formation. If immediate steps are not taken to protect the Himalayan ecosystem, the coming years could bring an even more severe water crisis,” Nayal said.Nayal added that Himalayan glaciers served as the lifeline for millions of people living downstream, and changes in snowfall and melting patterns could affect rivers, ecosystems and communities across the plains. He said the expedition had underlined both the difficulty of high-altitude movement in unstable weather and the need to conserve the fragile Himalayan ecology.