Kashmir’s biggest glacier, which feeds the region’s main river, is melting faster than other Himalayas glaciers, threatening the water supply of tens of thousands of people, a new report warned today.

Experts say rising temperatures are rapidly shrinking Himalayan glaciers, underscoring the effects of climate change that has caused temperatures in the mountainous region to rise by about 1.1° C in the past 100 years.

The biggest glacier in Kashmir, the Kolahoi glacier, spread over just a little above 11 sq km, has shrunk 2.63 sq km in the past three decades, a new study says.

“The Kolahoi glacier is shrinking 0.08 sq km a year, which is an alarming speed,” says the study, presented at a workshop on “Climate Change, Glacial Retreat and Livelihoods,” in Srinagar.

The three year-long study was led by glaciologist Shakil Ramsoo, assistant professor in the department of geology at Kashmir University.

The Kolahoi glacier is the main source of water for the Jhelum and its many streams and lakes.

According to a United Nations Environment Programme and World Glacier Monitoring Service study, the average melting rate of mountain glaciers has doubled since the turn of the millennium, with record losses seen in 2006 at several sites.

But Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said in August there was a need for more scientific studies to conclusively establish the link between climate change and shrinking glaciers.

He said while “a couple of" Himalayan glaciers were receding, some others such as the Siachen glacier were advancing, while others like the Gangotri glacier were receding at a decreasing rate compared with the last two decades.

But Ramsoo says: “Other small Kashmir glaciers are also shrinking and the main reason is that the winter temperature in Kashmir is rising.”Experts say the melting of Kashmir glaciers could have a serious fallout as most Kashmiris rely on the glaciers for water.