According to a survey, glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain ranges and might lose up to 80% of their volume this century if greenhouse gas emissions are not substantially curtailed. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Kathmandu, warned on Tuesday that flash floods and avalanches would become more common in the coming years, affecting the availability of freshwater for nearly 2 billion people who live downstream of 12 rivers that originate in the mountains.
Snow and ice in the Hindu Kush The Himalayan Mountains are a significant source of water for rivers that flow through 16 Asian countries, providing fresh water to 240 million people in the mountains and another 1.65 billion below. Several previous studies have revealed that the cryosphere — parts of the Earth covered in snow and ice — is one of the worst affected by climate change. According to recent study, Mount Everest’s glaciers, for example, have lost 2,000 years of ice in the last 30 years. Among the report’s primary conclusions are that Himalayan glaciers have receded 66% quicker since 2010 than in the preceding decade, and that diminished snow cover due to global warming would result in less fresh water for those living downstream. According to the study, 200 glacier lakes in these mountains are risky, and the region could see a major increase in glacial lake outburst floods by the end of the century.
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