Leh Ladakh
Leh Ladakh
Today,
a high -altitude desert, sheltered from the rain-bearing clouds of the Indian
monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was once covered by an
extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south -east
plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul - in drainage basins with evocative names like
Tso-moriri, Tsokar,a nd grandest of all, Pangong-tso. Occasionally, some stray
monsoon cluds do find their way over the Himalaya, and lately this seems to
be happening with increasing frequency. But the main source of water remains
the winter snowfall.
Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet (2750m) at Kargil to
25,170 feet (7,672m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram. Thus summer temperatures
rarely exceed about 27 degree celcuis in the shade, while in winter they may
plummet to minus 20 degree celcuis even in Leh. Surprisingly, though, the thin
air makes the heat ofthe sun even more intense than at lower altitudes; it is
said that only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade
suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time!.
Dras,
Zanskar and the Suru Valley on the Himalaya's northern flank receive heavy snow
in winter; this feeds the glaciers whose meltwater, carried down by streams,
irrigates the fields in summer. For the rest of the region, the snow on the
peaks is virutally the only source of water. As the crops grow, the villagers
pray not for rain, but for sun to melt the glaciers and liberate their water.
Usually their prayers are answered, for the skies are clear and the sun shines
for over 300 days in the year.
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