SMART THINKING
The arrival of COVID-19 vaccines mean the pandemic’s end is in sight, but complacency still poses a challenge.
SRINAGAR, INDIA
A boatman collects lotus stem from the frozen waters of Nigeen Lake in Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley. Sub-zero temperatures in Srinagar this winter have caused severe difficulties for locals and tourists staying in houseboats on two of the city’s lakes, with the layer of ice leaving them unable to move. Srinagar recorded its coldest night in 30 years at the start of 2021, with a low of -8.4°C.
Local organisations and emergency services joined forces to provide assistance to people stuck on Dal and Nigeen lakes who were unable to fetch supplies. Food kits and emergency medicines were delivered to the houseboats that were stranded.
Houseboats are a common sight in the Kashmir Valley – there are about 950 of them in total in the region. Staying in one of the intricately carved wooden houseboats is considered a must for tourists, but visitors have been few and far between lately. Since Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its autonomy and statehood in August 2019 by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, the tourism industry has been decimated. There were 499,584 visitors to Kashmir in 2019 – but only 43,059 after August.
In addition to the harsh military crackdown causing tourists to steer clear, COVID-19 lockdowns have also badly affected tourism in the area. Many houseboat owners have been left unable to pay for essential maintenance on their vessels and seven houseboats have sunk in Srinagar since July.
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K2, PAKISTAN
A team of Sherpas pose at K2 in Pakistan before making mountaineering history. The team have achieved the first winter ascent of K2, the second-tallest mountain in the world. The 10 Sherpas summitted the mountain after leaving their camp at 1am and battling temperatures as low as -40°C to reach the summit 16 hours later.
At 8,611m high, K2 was the last remaining of the world’s 14 ‘eight-thousander’ peaks (mountains over 8,000m high) to be climbed during winter.
“We set out to make the impossible possible and we are honoured to be sharing this moment, not only with the Nepalese climbing community but with communities all across the world,” said Nirmal Purja, one of the 10 climbers. “Mother Nature always has bigger things to say, and standing on the summit, witness to the sheer force of her extremities, we are proud to have been a part of history for humankind.”
The incredible feat is a significant milestone for the Sherpa community, an ethnic group who live in the mountainous regions of Nepal and the Himalayas. International climbers have long relied on Sherpas to assist and guide them up the dangerous mountain peaks, yet they have been overlooked in the world of highaltitude climbing. “For all the other eight-thousanders summitted in winter, no Sherpa was with them, so this is an opportunity for Sherpa to demonstrate their strength,” said climber Mingma Gyalje Sherpa.
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