Third pole melting away

Himalayan glaciers disappearing 65% faster since 2010. This will drastically reduce water flows in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra

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ALL REGIONS of the Hindu Kush Himalayas are seeing an increase in mean temperature, with an average observed trend of 0.28°C per decade from 1951 to 2020. This is likely to impact the cryosphere, and in particular glacial melt, which is a major contributor of water for Himalayan rivers like the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Indus, says latest assessment from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an intergovernmental institute serving the eight Himalayan countries. Already, mass loss of glaciers has accelerated in the first two decades of this century. The report, released on June 20, says that for a global warming level of 1.5-2°C, Himalayan glaciers are expected to lose 30-50 per cent of their volume by 2100. If warming exceeds 4°C, the heavily glacier-covered regions of West Kunlun and Karakoram will have their remaining glacier area reduced to about 50 per cent of their 2020 area. In all other regions, glacier-covered area will be reduce