“Glaciers in HKH region could lose up to 80% of their current volume by the end of the century”: ICIMOD report
NEW YORK: Columbia University’s Climate School on June 20th reported about a recently released study, depicting a horrific future ahead for the Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalaya (HKH) region.
The study, titled “Water, Ice, Society, and Ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya”, was released by ICIMOD.
The study projects that glaciers in the region could lose 80% of their volume by the end of the 21st century, bringing disasters, misery and pain for over 2 billion people of South Asia.
“Snow cover is projected to fall by up to a quarter under high emissions scenarios—drastically reducing freshwater for major rivers such as the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and several Central Asian countries, where it contributes up to 74% of river flow, including the Indus (40% river flow) in India and Pakistan, and the Helmand (77% river flow) in Iran and Afghanistan. Permafrost is also decreasing in the region, which will lead to more landslides and problems for infrastructure at high elevation.”
