Study warns of \u201cpotential lower river flows, increased groundwater reliance, and heightened drought risk\u201d
\nNews Agency
\nLalitpur
\nSnowfall in Asia\u2019s Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range has reached a 23-year low, threatening nearly two billion people dependent on snowmelt for water, scientists warned in a report on Monday.
\nThe Hindu Kush-Himalayan range, which stretches from Afghanistan to Myanmar, holds the largest reserves of ice and snow outside the Arctic and Antarctica and is a vital source of fresh water for about two billion people.
\nResearchers found \u201ca significant decline in seasonal snow across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, with snow persistence (the time snow remains on the ground) 23.6% below normal \u2014 the lowest in 23 years,\u201d the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said.
\n\u201cThis trend, now in its third consecutive year, threatens water security for nearly two billion people,\u201d it said in its Snow Update Report.
\nThe study also warned of \u201cpotential lower river flows, increased groundwater reliance, and heightened drought risk\u201d.
\nSher Muhammad, the lead author of the ICIMOD report, told AFP that \u201cthis year the snowfall started late in January and remained low in the winter season on average\u201d.
\nSeveral countries in the region have already issued drought warnings, with upcoming harvests and access to water at risk for populations already facing longer, hotter, and more frequent heatwaves.
\nThe inter-governmental ICIMOD organisation is made up of member countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
\nIt urged countries that rely on the 12 major river basins in the region to develop \u201cimproved water management, stronger drought preparedness, better early warning systems, and greater regional cooperation\u201d.
\nThe Mekong and Salween basins \u2014 the two longest rivers in Southeast Asia, supplying water to China and Myanmar \u2014 had lost around half of their snow cover, it noted. Pema Gyamtsho, ICIMOD\u2019s director general, called for changes in policy to address the low snow levels in the long term.
\n\u201cCarbon emissions have already locked in an irreversible course of recurrent snow anomalies in the HKH (Hindu Kush-Himalayas),\u201d Gyamtsho said.
\nAsia is the region most affected by climate-related disasters, according to the UN\u2019s World Meteorological Organisation, which reported last month that five of the past six years have seen the most rapid glacier retreat on record.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Study warns of \u201cpotential lower river flows, increased groundwater reliance, and heightened drought risk\u201d News Agency Lalitpur Snowfall in Asia\u2019s Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range has reached a 23-year low, threatening nearly two billion people dependent on snowmelt for water, scientists warned in a report on Monday. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan range, which stretches from Afghanistan to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-473927","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n