Indian glaciers retreating at faster pace, UN told

The report references the receding of a glacier’s snout.

- Jayashree Nandi

NEW DELHI: India's glaciers are retreating at an accelerated pace in recent decades, according to the country's latest climate change report submitted to the United Nations last week.

The Biennial Update Report to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change provides a comprehensive assessment of how climate change is impacting India, particularly its agriculture sector and monsoon patterns.

"In general, Himalayan glaciers are undergoing thinning (loss of ice mass) and reduction in length and area under present climate conditions," the report states. However, it notes that the rate of retreat varies between glaciers based on their location and climate conditions.

The report highlights that while landslides are common in the Himalayan region, scientists face challenges in measuring ice thickness due to the difficult terrain. This has resulted in limited data availability, particularly when attempting to use radar and other field methods

Impact on agriculture

The extreme heat of 2022 severely impacted both field and horticultural crops. Northwest and central India experienced their hottest April in 122 years, with average temperatures reaching 35.9°C and maximum temperatures hitting 37.8°C.

The heat wave's impact, the BUR states, was particularly severe in the agricultural regions of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.