Changes to the Hindu Kush Himalayas’ cryosphere to date warns of grave consequences for human life and nature, according to a new study by The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
The new study, Water, Ice, Society, and Ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya reveals that the Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers disappeared 65% faster in the decade 2011-2020 compared with the previous decade.
The report sounds a word of caution for the policymakers. They need to prepare for the cascading impacts of climate change in the critical mountain biome which will affect a quarter of the world’s population.
The report that was published in June 2023 sounded the alarm at the speed and scale of ice-melt worldwide which is far outpacing worst-case scenario projections from the IPCC.
Ice and snow in the Hindu Kush Himalaya are an important source of water for 12 rivers that flow through 16 countries in Asia, providing freshwater and other vital ecosystem services to 240m people in the mountains and a further 1.65bn downstream.
Vulnerable mountain communities are already experiencing major adverse impacts – including disasters causing loss and damage to lives, property, heritage and infrastructure, driving displacement and leaving psychological impacts.
The study reveals that availability of water in the Hindu Kush Himalayas is expected to peak in mid-century, driven by accelerated glacial melt, after which it is projected to decline with variability in meltwater from glaciers and snow resulting in huge uncertainty for mountain communities and large lowland populations.
Floods and landslides are also projected to increase over the coming decades, with slow-onset hazards, such as sedimentation and erosion and fast-onset hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), occurring often concurrently in the same catchments. 200 glacier lakes across the Hindu Kush Himalayas are deemed dangerous and the region could see a significant spike in GLOF risk by the end of the century. M