Cloudbursts, landslides, floods: 'Weather terror’ scares tourists away from Indian Kashmir

A series of cloudbursts, landslides and flood alerts in Indian Kashmir – a combination of extreme events dubbed “weather terror” by local business people – has caused tourist arrivals to drop 60 per cent so far this year, and things may get worse.

Indian Kashmir, whose stunning Himalayan mountain and lake scenery once made it a magnet for visitors, had seen its important tourism industry revive over the past four years, following two decades of armed insurgency against Indian rule which had deterred all but the hardiest travellers.

From 2011 to 2014 Kashmir received some 1.3 million tourists annually, but this year the number has plummeted, as guests worried by reports of perilous weather and frequent flood warnings cancel bookings, hoteliers say.

The fall in visitor numbers has dismayed the more than 100,000 people who directly depend on tourism for their livelihood. “Our rivers and lakes might be overflowing with water this year, but for us it is a dry season,” Srinagar hotel owner Zulfiqar Wani said.

Besides three official flood alerts since March after spells of incessant rain, a dozen cloudbursts have struck various parts of Kashmir in the past month, killing 10 people and causing considerable damage to property.

As temperatures rise around the world, more frequent bouts of extreme weather are among the climate change impacts scientists have been predicting for some time.