By: Rakesh Lohumi ( Sr. Editor-ICN Group )
SHIMLA: The recent heavy snow did cause many hardships to the people but it also unfolded one of the most fascinating winter spectacles ,dangling icicles, which have become rare in recent times. There was a surfeit of icicles in the “Queen of Hills” after a long time, providing an unmistakable indication that the region is experiencing a harsh winter this season for a change.
The cone-shaped glassy tapering spikes are formed due to freezing of dripping snow-melt. With the ambient temperature rising steadily and winter becoming warmer and shorter by the year, the phenomenon of icicles has almost vanished. In fact, snow has been itself becoming elusive and the mild winters have not been conducive to formation of icicles, which require typical conditions.
Water from a dripping source starts freezing when the mercury plummets sufficiently below the freezing point and for a considerable period of time. Snow on the rooftops provide most common dripping source, though icicles can be formed on trees, rocks, power lines, streams and even inside caves.
Nowadays the mercury has been seldom dipping below the freezing point, a prerequisite for growth of icicles. Until early 1990s icicles were a common sight as the hills came under heavy snow during winter and temperature remained below freezing point for weeks together. The translucent dagger-shaped spikes invariably adorned the roofs whenever it snowed.
Hanging majestically from rooftops, power lines and trees icicles, a magical creation of nature, always present a gorgeous sight. These beautiful pieces of art lend a unique charm to the snowscape. At times they sprout side branches that start to form their own vertical columns to acquire queer shapes.
In the 1960s and 1970s, when the winter was full of snow and extended to almost five months from November to March, huge icicles hung from the roof of almost every building. With temperature hovering 6 C to 9 C below the freezing point even water pipes burst frequently due to freezing of water.
Every house had a fireplace with chimneys perched atop slanting tin roofs. Columns of smoke rose into sky from houses as residents kindled coal fires early in the day to fight cold. The spent the evenings huddled around crackling bonfires wrapped in heavy woollens.
The scenario has undergone a sea change in recent years due to the ongoing change in the microclimate, largely a consequence of local factors like wanton deforestation and excessive constructions on the environmentally fragile hills.The hills are experiencing warmer winters year after year and heavy snow like the one that lashed the city last week is considered a freak weather event these days. The chimneys do not belch out smoke anymore and the fireplaces have either fallen in disuse or have been dismantled altogether. Even the bonfires have become a ritual associated with the festival of Lohri.
