Islamabad:
The snowfall in the Hindu mountain range of Kush-Himalayan in Asia reached a 23-year-old hollow, threatening nearly two billion people depending on the melting of the snow for water, scientists warned in a report.
The Hindu chain of Kush-Himalayan, which extends from Afghanistan to Myanmar, holds the largest ice and snow reserves outside the Arctic and Antarctica and is a vital source of fresh water for about two billion people.
The researchers found “a significant drop in seasonal snow in the Hindu region of the Himalayas of Kush, with the persistence of snow (the time that snow remains on the ground) 23.6% below normal – the lowest in 23 years,” said the International Integrated Mountain Development Center (Icimod).
“This trend, now in its third consecutive year, threatens water safety for nearly two billion people,” he said in his snow update report. The study also warned of “flow of potential lower rivers, increased dependence on groundwater and increased risk of drought”.
Sher Muhammad, the main author of the Icimod report, told AFP that “this year, snowfall started at the end of January and remained low in winter on average”.
Several countries in the region have already issued drought warnings, with upcoming crops and access to water at risk of populations already faced with more frequent heat waves.
The intergovernmental organization here is made up of member countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
It has urged the countries that rely on the 12 main river basins in the region to develop “better water management, greater preparation for drought, better early alert systems and greater regional cooperation”.
