By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Rajendra Badoni, an insurance employee in Dehradun, is avid these days for any news on snowfall in the hills. Badoni wants to travel to Auli in the Garhwal region for skiing. But he is disappointed due to the endless wait for the snow.
Anil Jaggi, a social activist, is equally unhappy due to the lack of snow this season in the hills. “We used to go to Mussoorie in the beginning of January every year. But in the last few years, we have not seen any snow in our Mussoorie,” said Jaggi, who loves travelling in the hills.
From Himachal Pradesh to Uttarakhand, the Himalayan belt has been grappling with an extraordinary dry spell during this winter period.
At a time when it should be snowing, the prolonged dry spell in the hills has given rise to forest fires which are unusual in January. In the past few days, scores of forest fires have been reported in the hills causing a big concern among the people.
Known for its snowy winters and lush forests, Uttarakhand during the entire winter season has witnesses scanty rainfall and negligible snowfall, contributing to unusually dry conditions across the hill state, environmentalists said.
Amid the dry spell, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) says three Western Disturbances in quick successions likely to cause wet spell over Western Himalayan region including J&K, Himachal and Uttarakhand during next 7 days with isolated heavy rainfall and snowfall beginning from Jan 22.
Otherwise, meteorological data reveal a significant deficit in winter precipitation, with months like December and January recording little to no rain or snow. “We are not getting any rain and hence there is no snow,” said Dr Vijay Sridhar, an environment expert.
Such dryness is highly atypical for the region, which generally receives winter moisture from Western Disturbances — weather systems that bring rain and snow to the western Himalayas. This year, these disturbances have been weak and infrequent, leaving forests and fields parched, said Dr Sridhar, a Professor in Doon University. The prolonged lack of precipitation has significant ecological, agricultural, and hydrological consequences. Farmers are already reporting crop losses estimated between 15 % and 25 % as soil moisture declines.
Meanwhile, environmentalists have warned that a sustained absence of snowfall could push some glacier mass balances into negative territory, meaning glaciers in the region could lose more ice than they accumulate, threatening long-term water security for millions downstream. Against this backdrop of drought‐like conditions, forest officials are increasingly concerned about the risk of increase in forest fires.
Recently, several forest fires occurred near the Valley of Flowers and within the Nanda Devi national park prompting state authorities to escalate their response. most of these fires have been controlled, officials said.