It Never Rains in Ladakh!

September 2005

After a short flight from dank, humid Delhi we arrived to the parched, high altitude of Ladakh, one of India’s northern territories within the State of Kashmir and Jammu. The flight had taken us over the breathtakingly beautiful Himalayan and Zanskar Ranges, snow swept and rugged, to pull up skimming the craggy bowl that protects and nurtures the Ladakhi capital of Leh.

Leh is a green oasis amongst the red mars-like landscape that tumbles from the surrounding mountain peaks. This oasis is fed by snow melt from the towering mountains that reach to over 4km skyward. Until recent times the summer thaw supplied just enough water for an amazingly complex irrigation system to provide for the city's agricultural and daily ablution needs during the warmer months (May thru October). However, as we were to witness later in our trip, times are a'changin’.

Last summer (2004) saw major flooding throughout Ladakh. Centuries-old houses were either swept away or irreparably damaged, and lovingly tended fields were inundated, their ripening harvests obliterated and the sweat of the villagers’ brow rendered futile.

Our journey through Ladakh took us through heart achingly beautiful villages at the height of their productivity, a cycle of planting and reaping which in some places sees 3 crops harvested within the short growing window of up to only 4 months. However, whilst the villagers toiled from sunup to sundown to ensure a bountiful yield, they also were engaged in the backbreaking work of rebuilding homes and animal shelters on higher ground and realigning field fences and soak zones in preparation for the deluge which many believe will come again.

Ladakh’s average yearly rainfall is just 4 inches (hence our guides famous last words regarding the need to take wet weather gear on our trek– see story title). However, we saw almost that much rain fall in just 2 days of hiking, and only days before the rain, there had been localised flooding again from the snow melt. So what is happening in Ladakh? The general consensus is that global warming is the cause. In other words, the everyday comforts that you and I take for granted – the petrol driven vehicles, the air-conditioned homes and offices, the latest and greatest home and lifestyle enhancements; it is all these things that contribute to global warming.

Low lying islands in our oceans are being immersed in a sea of fossil fuel created rising tides and the Shangri-La that is Ladakh, nestled amongst the highest peaks of our bountiful earth, is losing arable land and safe building sites to increased flows from summer thaws and extraordinary falls of summer rains.

Ladakhi villagers continue to live in a traditional way that dates back centuries and for the last 30 years, since the region was opened up to tourists, the people have, against the odds, maintained their culture and harmony with nature. Unfortunately, unless we in the west are prepared to make significant changes to the way we live through the resources we choose to use, the Ladakhi people will have little hope of sustaining the age old practices that make them unique and a place that we can all learn from.

I recommend a trip to Ladakh for everyone, if for no greater reason than to witness first hand the effect of climate change. However, you will also learn that sustainable living is possible through a commitment to community & the organic rhythm of nature, and you will be inspired to change the way we live to ensure a clean, green future for all the citizens of the world.

And remember, when it comes to wet weather gear, don’t leave it behind on the advice that ‘it never rains in Ladakh!’.