Kashmir's rare snowless winter sets off alarm bells

In his 17 years of managing a hotel in Gulmarg, a picturesque town in Indian-administered Kashmir, Manzoor Ahmad has never seen a season without snow.

But this year, things are different: the snow-clad mountains in the region are oddly brown and barren.

"This is unprecedented," Mr Ahmad, 50, says, and adds that tourists have stopped making reservations at his hotel.

Every year, thousands of tourists visit Kashmir in winter to enjoy skiing and sightseeing. But the absence of snowfall this year has bought the region's tourism industry to its knees.

Close to 100,000 tourists visited Kashmir last January, but this year that number has reduced by more than half, officials say.

Experts say the snowless winter will have a disastrous impact on the territory's economy as the tourism sector accounts for about 7% of Jammu and Kashmir's GDP. It will also impact farming and water supply as scanty snowfall will not replenish groundwater reserves adequately.

Environmentalists say that climate change has been impacting the region, causing extreme weather events and prolonged dry spells in both winter and summer. Jammu and Kashmir's weather department recorded a 79% rainfall deficit in December and a 100% deficit in January.

The valley is also experiencing warmer weather, with most stations in Kashmir recording a 6-8C (43-48F) rise in temperature this winter.

Hotel owners say tourists have cancelled their reservations, while many left after visiting the place as they were unable to enjoy skiing or sleigh rides.

"Over 40% of hotel reservations have been cancelled and new bookings are currently on hold," Aqib Chaya, president of Gulmarg Hoteliers Club, says.

Raj Kumar, a resident of the western state of Maharashtra who visited Kashmir with his