Climate scan on Himalayan glaciers: Studies highlight alarming impact of melting ice and changing river runoff

The Jal Shakti ministry has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it is conducting several studies to analyse the effect of climate change on Himalayan glaciers and melt runoff components.

The ministry filed the affidavit in response to a suo motu case initiated by the NGT over the alarming impact of climate change on South Asia’s major river basins, including the Ganga, Indus and the Brahmaputra.

The Jal Shakti ministry has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it is conducting several studies to analyse the effect of climate change on Himalayan glaciers and melt runoff components.

The ministry filed the affidavit in response to a suo motu case initiated by the NGT over the alarming impact of climate change on South Asia’s major river basins, including the Ganga, Indus and the Brahmaputra.

Mentioning an assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the ministry informed the tribunal that a study was conducted on the Baspa basin in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh to analyse the effect of snow and glacier changes and their impacts on melt runoff components. The study also tested the applicability of the Spatial Processes in Hydrology model to separate the runoff components.

Glacier runoff is the melt and rainwater that runs off the glacierised area without refreezing.

According to the government, preliminary findings of the study suggest a reduction in glacier melt runoff and an increase in snowmelt contribution in recent years because of changes in glaciers and snow covers in the Baspa basin.

“The glaciers showed a noticeable change in the glacier area in the Baspa basin. The study’s findings showed that the contribution from glacier melt runoff has been found to reduce while snowmelt contribution has increased in past years due to changes in glaciers and snow covers in the Baspa basin,” the Centre said.

The ministry also mentioned an ongoing study by the Centre for Cryosphere & Climate Change Studies (C4S) at the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, on Gangotri and Milam glaciers in Uttarakhand and Triloki glacier in Himachal Pradesh to analyse the glacier changes and their impacts on melt runoff.

The C4S was established by the department of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation to conduct studies on the Himalayan cryosphere that focus on the ice and snow cover, glaciers and permafrost.

Environmentalists have been underlining the threat that climate change poses to Himalayan rivers, with rising temperatures causing glaciers to melt at an alarming rate, leading to increased floods.

Recently, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk carried with him a piece of ice from a glacier in Ladakh on a US tour to flag how fast they were melting and cautioned that the Ganga and the Yamuna would become seasonal rivers if glaciers were not restored.

He also wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that India should take the lead in addressing climate change.