Depleting Glaciers

A new government study has found that glacial lakes and other water bodies across the Himalayan region have witnessed a 10.81 per cent increase in area from 2011 to 2024 due to climate change.  The study  carried out by the Central Water Commission has  identified 67 such lakes in the country that have seen an over 40 per cent rise in surface area. The states and regions like Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh have shown the most significant expansions. Neighboring countries, including Bhutan, Nepal, and China, are also experiencing glacial lake growth.

This phenomenon attributed to rapid melting of glaciers due to rising temperatures has heightened the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Not just that, the  depletion of glaciers poses a far  greater risk for water availability, including in the region’s major river systems, including the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus.

Kashmir is one of the places which is expected to bear the brunt of the climate change unfolding across the country. A number of studies in recent years have predicted a far-reaching fallout on the water-bodies of the Valley. Jammu and Kashmir boasts approximately 15,000 glaciers, including large ones like the Siachen glacier. These glaciers are an invaluable resource, serving as a lifeline for the region, providing water for agriculture. They feed Indus, Jhelum, Chenab and their multiple tributaries.  Millions of people depend on these rivers and their tributaries, especially the Indus River, the 3000 km-long river system which feeds India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, and supports the ecosystems of forests, plains, and arid countryside and covers the world’s most extensive system of irrigated agriculture.

However, with temperatures on the rise due to climate change, these glaciers are melting at an accelerated pace.  But, there is little that can be done about climate change which is a worldwide phenomenon.  What we need is an integrated regional approach including India, China and Pakistan and the other smaller countries in the region to climate change. This alone will ensure that the factors that trigger the climate crisis are jointly addressed if not eradicated.