The Himalayan glaciers are melting too fast! After going through various study reports on this issue, scientists have expressed serious concern over the development. They have claimed that glaciers in the Himalayas melted 65% faster in 2011-20 compared to the previous decade. In other words, the rate of melting increased by 65% in this decade.

According to scientists, it is quite natural that glaciers shall melt due to Global Warming. However, the speed at which Himalayan glaciers are melting is worrisome! This is unexpected. Hence, they have advised people to be careful about this from now on.

The Himalayan glaciers near the Hindu Kush region directly meet the daily water needs of nearly 240 million people. Another 1.65 billion people, living in various river valleys, are indirectly dependent on these glaciers. Based on recent trends, scientists have estimated that the Himalayan glaciers may lose 80% of their volume by the end of the 21st Century. As a result, the future of at least 10 major rivers, originating from that area, and all their tributaries, shall become uncertain.

The Himalayan glaciers are the source of water for many important rivers, including the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Yellow, Ravi, etc., of India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. The melting of glaciers shall certainly trigger floods in these rivers, endangering the lives of many living in valleys. Local residents depend on river waters for their basic needs, like food, electricity, etc.

According to a report prepared by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) of Nepal, the volume of Himalayan glaciers will be one-third by 2100. Sadly, Antarctica is losing an average of 150 billion tonnes of ice mass per year, while the Greenland ice cap is melting even faster, losing 270 billion tonnes annually. Global temperatures have increased by an average of 1.2 degrees Celsius since the mid-19th Century. Hence, different parts of the globe become hotter, and also experience heatwaves. Scientists have opined that immediate action should be taken in order to address this issue.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das