Indian Himalayan Glaciers’ Health Under Changing Climate

The great Himalayan region covers approximately 2000 km from east to west. It is referred to as the Asian water tower as it feeds water to 1.9 billion people in Asia. The range extends to several Asian countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. The Himalayan glaciers provide water to numerous sizeable Asian river systems, i.e., Amu Darya, Brahmaputra, Ganges, Indus, Irrawaddy, Mekong, Salween, Tarim, Yangtze, and Yellow. These glaciers significantly alter stream flow in quantity and timing, as annual basin run-off could be increased or decreased depending on annual negative or positive glacier mass balance, respectively. Although glacial expansions and retreats are natural phenomena, the melting rate has recently accelerated due to changes in climatic conditions due to an excess concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The rate of glacier melting is significant, and this accelerated melting may not only cause natural hazards such as landslides and glacier lake outburst floods but also increase the phantom of shrinking water resources in the long run. This threatens the low-line population’s freshwater supply and other essential services like food, energy, and livelihood security.