NEW DELHI, MARCH 14. Himalayan glaciers are among the fastest retreating in the world due to the effects of global warming, and this will eventually result in water shortages for hundreds of millions of people who rely on glacier-dependent rivers in China, India and Nepal, WWF, the global conservation organisation, has warned.
The warning comes on the eve of a two-day ministerial round table of the 20 largest energy-using economies in the world, followed by a G-8 meeting of development and environment ministers focusing on climate change and on Africa. Both meetings are scheduled to be held in London from March 15-18. A new WWF report, "An overview of glaciers: glacier retreat and subsequent impacts in Nepal, India and China'' exposes the rate of Himalayan glaciers retreating accelerating as global warming increases. The report states that glaciers in the region are now receding at an average rate of 10-15 metres annually.
"The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers will first increase the volume of water in rivers causing widespread flooding," according to Jennifer Morgan, Director of WWF's Global Climate Change Programme. "But in a few decades this situation will change and the water level in rivers will decline, meaning massive economic and environmental problems for people in Western China, Nepal and Northern India." The report highlights the risk for two of the meeting's participating countries, China and India, where the retreat of glaciers has already had significant impact in terms of water shortages, more frequent flooding, retreating wetlands and unstable river systems.
Threatens security
In a letter to participating ministers, WWF stresses the need to recognise climate change as an issue that threatens security and development prospects. "The good news is that solutions are at hand to meet the challenges of climate change, energy security and development needs, but ministers need to work together to make progress,'' said Ms. Morgan. "Ministers should realise now that the world faces an economic and development catastrophe if the rate of global warming isn't reduced." Himalayan glaciers feed into seven of Asia's greatest rivers, namely the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Huange He ensuring a year-round water supply to hundreds of millions of people in the sub-continent and China. As glacier water flows dwindle, the energy potential of hydro-electric power will decrease causing problems for industry, while reduced irrigation means lower crop production.
Nepal is seeing an annual average temperature rise of 0.06° C. The report shows that three of Nepal's snow-fed rivers have shown declining discharges. In China, the report shows that Qinhai Plateau's wetlands have seen declining water levels, lake shrinkage and absence of water flow in rivers and streams. In India, the Gangotri glacier, which supports one of India's largest river basins, is receding at an average rate of 23 metres per year.
