Himalayan Glaciers Melting Rapidly, Lost 26 Metres Ice in Five Decades, Government Tells Parliament
India's Himalayan Glaciers lost an estimated 26 meters of ice thickness in the past five decades, the Centre told Rajya Sabha amid rising concerns over climate change. The melting is accelerating and uneven, with some glaciers retreating faster than others, making it challenging to predict water availability for millions of people downstream.
While the Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers are retreating at an average rate of 14.9 meters per year, the rate varies by river basin – 12.7 m/year in the Indus, 15.5 m/year in the Ganga, and 20.2 m/year in the Brahmaputra.
In contrast, glaciers in the Karakoram range have remained relatively stable, showing minimal change in length. 'This will cause shifts in the seasonality and high inter-annual variability of runoff which may affect water supply at local to regional/continental scales," Union Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Jitender Singh told the Parliament, highlighting that this will also cause formation and enlargement of new/existing lakes which can increase frequency of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)/flash floods.
'Changes in water availability can also disrupt ecosystems and biodiversity, impacting the livelihoods of communities that depend on these resources," he said, responding to the concerns over climate change raised by MPs.
Several scientific institutes monitoring the Himalayan glaciers in India have reported accelerated and uneven melting of glaciers in the region. The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCOPR) which monitors six glaciers in the Chandra Basin, spread over 2437 sq km area in western Himalaya, showed that it has lost about 6% of its glacial area during the last 20 years. A field research station 'Himansh' was also set up in Chandra basin, where scientists conduct field experiments and expeditions to glaciers. Over the past decade, glaciers in the Chandra Basin retreated at a rate of 13-33 metres per year. From 2015 to 2022, it is estimated that the glaciers in the upper Chandra Basin had an average annual mass loss of 0.51 metres (water equivalent), with a total loss of 3.5 metres, informed Singh.
'The government has adopted an action plan to conserve the glaciers and make efforts to reduce the impact of climate change. A Steering Committee on 'Monitoring of Glaciers' in March 2023 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, with members from different ministries and organizations to monitor and coordinate the work being carried out on the Himalayan glaciers. A Centre for Cryosphere and Climate Change Studies (C4S) was also set up at National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee in May 2023 to study the impact of climate change on water resources of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), he added.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Guidelines has also published a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Management of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).
view comments
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Uttarakhand Floods Expose Gaps In Warning Systems, Expert Bats For AI Model
New Delhi: As the devastating flash floods in Uttarkashi claim lives and livelihoods yet again, experts flagged the failure to implement an integrated early warning system for the Himalayan region. The plan has been discussed for long and the experts warned that blaming climate change for such tragedies masks systemic governance failures. This, they say, is worsening the inherent vulnerabilities in areas like Uttarkashi and high-altitude villages such as Dharali. Calling for urgent action, they demand independent assessments to uncover the root causes of such tragedies and insist on accountability. Former Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr Rajeevan reflected on past efforts to address such vulnerabilities. "When I was the Secretary, we discussed an integrated early warning system for the whole Himalayan region. It was recorded in a high level meeting but it was not implemented," he said. "We need such a resilient system for the Himalayan region. The Ministry of Earth Sciences has recently launched the Mausam Mission. They should attempt to develop such early warning systems under that mission. The government has provided adequate funds to them. I understand the MoES will be taking up such initiatives. Yes, it should be implemented urgently. Otherwise, more damages can happen." Strengthening Early Warning Systems To improve Uttarakhand's Early Warning Systems for cloudburst-induced flash floods, experts advocate a multi-pronged approach leveraging advanced technology and community engagement. Dr Rajeevan emphasised upgrading observational infrastructure, including a dense network of X-band radars in upstream river catchments, more automatic weather stations, rain gauges, and river and stream gauging stations. "We need very high-resolution weather prediction models, about 1-3 km resolution," he said, acknowledging their limitations. "The accuracy of such physical models is not that good. Therefore, Artificial Intelligence-based algorithms should be considered," he added. He proposed developing AI-driven nowcasting systems that integrate satellite imagery, lightning data, and radar inputs to predict cloudburst events with a 1-3 hour lead time, coupled with mobile alert systems for rapid dissemination. Additionally, localized flash flood guidance systems using terrain-specific hydrological models and community-centric warning systems at the panchayat level were highlighted as critical. "Mobile and app-based alerts, along with terrain-specific hazard zoning and land-use policies, are essential to minimize risks," Dr Rajeevan added. Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, echoed the need for technological advancements but stressed the importance of effective disaster management systems to act on early warnings. "This will be a combination of Doppler radars, satellite monitoring, river-based ground monitoring, and more intense monitoring in identified vulnerable locations," he said. "More importantly, we need a disaster management system that can use such advance information to remove people in time from vulnerable locations. We have a long way to go on this," he added. Mr Thakkar also called for robust governance mechanisms, including "honest, credible environment and social impact assessments of all major interventions, independent appraisals, confidence-inspiring monitoring, and compliance systems" to ensure accountability. "We are pretty poor in all these aspects," he noted. Unplanned Development Amplifies Disaster Impact The flash floods in Uttarkashi, particularly in areas like Dharali, were exacerbated by unplanned development, including the proliferation of hotels and homestays encroaching on river paths. Mr Thakkar highlighted the absence of policies to regulate such constructions. "We have no system to ensure that hotels, homestays, and other civil constructions are not encroaching on the path of rivers and streams. There is no system to remove such encroachments, and no assessment of the amount of space a river needs considering the current rainfall pattern and catchment health," he said. He pointed out that major projects like dams, hydropower plants, highways, railways, and urban centers contribute to environmental degradation by dumping muck into rivers, while schemes like riverfront developments and floodplain encroachments further constrict waterways. "The health of our catchments is degrading, which means rainfall is quickly converting into flow. That, combined with intensification of rainfall, means rivers need greater waterway, not smaller," Mr Thakkar explained. Dr Rajeevan also stressed the need for regulatory reforms, urging stricter controls on construction and tourism. "They are really spoiling the environment and river flow," he said, advocating terrain-specific hazard zoning and land-use policies to balance tourism with ecological safety. Integrated Flood Management for Resilience With cloudbursts becoming more frequent in Uttarakhand, potentially linked to climate change, experts underscore the need for integrated flood management strategies to enhance resilience, especially in high-altitude villages like Dharali. Mr Thakkar emphasized a combination of early warning systems, policies ensuring sufficient river waterways based on current and projected rainfall patterns, and robust monitoring and disaster management systems. "Most importantly, we need independent assessments that will provide information for accountability mechanisms," he said, advocating for post-disaster independent reviews to learn lessons and fix accountability. While acknowledging the role of climate change, Thakkar cautioned against using it as an excuse for poor governance. "The science of attribution is still being developed and today is not good enough to provide direct attribution. But climate change science tells us that in every such event of intensification of rainfall, there is a footprint of climate change," he said. "However, climate change should not be used as a carpet under which we can push all kinds of accountability and misgovernance. We know these events are increasingly likely, and we better be prepared for them rather than blaming it on climate change." Dr Rajeevan similarly called for proactive measures under the Mausam Mission, urging the Ministry of Earth Sciences to prioritise early warning systems. "The government has provided adequate funds. It should be implemented urgently," he reiterated.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
India was fortunate to have a steady growth in this transformative period, says Ashwini Vaishnaw
Geopolitics, geoeconomics and geotechnology are all changing the world order and hugely impacting businesses and economies globally, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railway, Information and Broadcasting and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, in Bengaluru on Tuesday (August 5, 2025). During this transformative period, India was fortunate to have a steady growth, he said while delivering a keynote address virtually to SAP Labs' leadership and employees at the Garman tech major's newly set up SAP Labs India Innovation Park at Devanahalli in the City outskirts. Commenting on India's economic growth and technological advancements in Railways even under challenging times, the Union Minister said, 'From being the 11th largest economy in the world 11 years ago, India is now on track to become the third largest economy soon. Electronics exports have grown 8 times in the last 11 years. Very soon, we will start the production of the first Made in India chip. The Bullet train accelerates from 0-100 kmph in 54 seconds whereas Vande Bharat does it in 52 seconds.'' He further said, as part of the union government's initiatives to democratise compute power, 34,000 GPUs were made available to every student, researcher, and college startups across the country, a provision made through a Public-Private Partnership. Cost of per computing was less than a $ in India when that was $2.5 globally. 'This is the kind of empowerment we are doing for young innovators. We in India decided to democratise access to compute power and in a very interesting public private partnership.' SAP Labs invested €194 million to set up SAP Labs India Innovation Park, on a patch of 41 acres of land, and the facility is expected to create 15,000 jobs for AI innovators. 'SAP's this new facility in Bengaluru is a timely investment in India's growth story. This campus reflects global confidence in India's talent and innovation ecosystem. It will further boost India's position as a trusted technology partner,' Mr. Vaishnaw said. SAP's new innovation campus would reflect global confidence in India's talent and innovation ecosystem, said the minister. Strategically located near Kempegowda International Airport, SAP Labs campus is envisioned as a flagship innovation and R&D hub for India and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Once fully operational, it will house 15,000 professionals, making it SAP's largest office in India, and will anchor Global AI roles in Product Engineering and Customer Services & Delivery, according to company officials. The facility would lead the development of Joule's agentic AI capabilities, reinforcing India's growing role in AI innovation. As a future-ready facility, the campus would also feature a Customer Experience Centre, hybrid collaboration zones, AI labs, startup incubation hubs, hackathon spaces and plenty of green zones.
The Hindu
20 hours ago
- The Hindu
Centre recognises IIT-H, NFTDC as Centres of Excellence
The Centre has allotted two Centres of Excellence (CoEs) out of the seven announced for critical minerals research across the country to Telangana, thanks to the efforts of Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy. In January this year, the Union Cabinet approved the 'National Critical Mineral Mission' with a budget of ₹16,300 crore, in addition to ₹18,000 crore to be mobilised from various PSUs. The mission aims to address the growing needs of sectors that rely on critical minerals. As part of the mission, the Ministry of Mines has recognised four IITs including IIT-H, and three Research & Development (R&D) centres including the Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC) in Hyderabad, as CoEs. They will function under the Ministry of Mines. These institutions will lead the research and technological development necessary to achieve the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission. The seven Centres of Excellence will receive funding under government research schemes. Additionally, ₹500 crore will be allocated for R&D and another ₹500 crore for international R&D support from global collaborations.
