A group of scientists warned on Monday that millions of people, who depend on the melting snow of the Himalayas to provide their water supplies, face a “very high” possibility of water shortages this year due to reduced amounts of snowfall.
In this region, snowmelt feeds about a quarter of the total of the 12 major river basins that originate at high altitude, according to the report.
“It is a warning signal for researchers, political officials and communities,” said report author Sher Mohammed of the Nepal-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
He stressed that “the lack of snow accumulation and the fluctuation of its levels greatly increases the risk of facing a water shortage, especially this year.”
According to the organization, snow and ice in the Himalayas provide essential sources of water for 240 million people living in mountainous areas and 1.65 billion people living in valleys in several countries.
The report measured the time that snow remained on the ground. This year, rates are about five times lower than normal throughout the Hindu Kush region, the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the Himalayas.
Muhammad told Agence France-Presse, “The snow cover survival rate (18.5% below the normal rate) this year was the second lowest level in the past 22 years, behind the record of 19% recorded in 2018.”
In addition to Nepal, the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development has members from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Burma and Pakistan.
According to the center, which has been monitoring snowfall in the region for more than 20 years, the year 2024 was exceptional.
The Ganges River Basin, which crosses India, saw the lowest snow cover retention rate “ever recorded” by ISIMODE, 17% below average.
The Helmand River Basin in Afghanistan recorded the second lowest rate of snow cover survival, reaching 32% below the normal rate.
The survival rate of snow cover in the Indus River Basin decreased by 23% from normal, while in the Brahmaputra Basin, which reaches Bangladesh, it decreased by 15%.
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