Third Pole glaciers sustain 1.3 billion people and feed ten Asia’s largest rivers.
JAVED KHAN
PESHAWAR
The United Nations’ World Water Development Report 2025 has raised alarm over the rapid melting of glaciers in the Third Pole, one of the world’s most significant water sources. Scientists warn that the accelerating glacial retreat poses a serious threat to food, water, energy, and livelihood security for nearly two billion people across Asia.
The Third Pole, which stretches across Central, Northeast, South, and Southeast Asia, contains more ice and snow than any region outside the Arctic and Antarctic. It serves as the primary source of over ten major river systems, sustaining millions of people, particularly in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.
The Hindu Kush mountain system, spanning approximately 800 kilometers in length and 240 kilometers in width, plays a critical role in regulating water supplies across the region.
According to GRID-Arendal, a Norway-based environmental organization, the Hindu Kush Himalaya—stretching over 3,500 kilometers and spanning eight countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan, forms the world’s most vital water tower.
“It feeds ten of Asia’s largest rivers and provides water for drinking, irrigation, energy, industry, and sanitation for 1.3 billion people living both in the mountains and downstream, “according to the organization.
However, the UN report highlights that rising temperatures, environmental degradation, and human activities are intensifying the crisis.
Pollutants such as black carbon, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants are accelerating glacier melt and deteriorating water quality. If this trend continues, experts warn of increased droughts, declining water flows, and severe disruptions to agriculture and energy production in the region.
To mitigate these threats, climate experts emphasize the urgent need for adaptation measures, including integrated water resource management (IWRM) and collaborative regional policies. Strengthening transboundary cooperation, raising public awareness, and advancing climate resilience strategies are essential in addressing the growing water crisis.
Environmental advocates stress the need for immediate policy interventions and stronger regional dialogue to tackle climate change, pollution, and environmental degradation. Without urgent action, the continued melting of the Third Pole could have devastating humanitarian and ecological consequences across Asia.
