The HKH Snow Update 2025 highlights a significant decline in seasonal snow across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, with snow persistence 23.6% below normal — the lowest in 23 years. This trend, now in its third consecutive year, threatens water security for nearly two billion people. All twelve major river …
Since 2004, Halji village, home of the oldest Buddhist Monastery in north-western Nepal, has suffered from recurrent glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). A sudden englacial drainage of a supraglacial lake, located at a distance of 6.5 km from the village, was identified as the source of the flood. The topography …
Climate change, increase in agricultural land use and population growth may lead to severe water shortage in Nepal in the coming decades, according to a new study. Using a sophisticated modelling tool called the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), researchers at the Baylor University were able to account for …
On the suggestion of an official in Uttarakhand, the Union government has announced special awards for those aiding the conservation of the nation's biodiversity. The National Biodiversity Board has estimated that India is home to 8% of the world's plant and animal species. An estimated 45,000 plants and 91,000 animal …
Only 25 per cent of the original habitats in the eastern Himalayas remain intact and hundreds of species in the region face threat to their existence from unbridled developmental activities and climate change, a new study has said. The latest regional species discovery report--'Hidden Himalayas: Asia's Wonderland', a World Wildlife …
Judgement of the National Green Tribunal (Principal Bench, New Delhi) in the matter of Bharat Jhunjhunwala Vs Union of India & Others dated 24/09/2015 regarding Vishnu Prayag Hydro Electric Project located on the upper reaches of River Alakananda in Uttarakhand. The Applicant prays for restitution of the environmental damage resulting …
The fragile Himalayan ecosystem is in poor health. Hundreds of scientists and students raised concern about the impact of climate change, urbanization, deforestation and other threats to the mountains at the first Himalayan Conclave on Wednesday at Delhi University. On Thursday, the participating experts will formulate a charter of solutions …
India finally has an estimate of its most populous and elusive large predator, the leopard. The first ever count of India's leopards, conducted alongside last year's tiger census, has put the spotted cat population at 7,910 in and around tiger habitats across the country, except the northeast. The leopards were …
A hydroelectric project in India’s eastern Himalayas will soon destroy one of the winter habitats of the magnificent Tibetan crane, a vulnerable bird regarded by local Buddhists as the reincarnation of a the sixth Dalai Lama, scientists and environmentalists have warned. The Tibetan, or black-necked, crane, a species unique to …
ARIES, acronym for Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, located in the Central Gangetic Himalayan (CGH) region is emerging as one of the unique sites for climate change studies. The long-term, in situ, precise measurements of aerosols and trace gases obtained from this region provide valuable inputs for climate studies. …
The historical orogenesis and associated climatic changes of mountain areas have been suggested to partly account for the occurrence of high levels of biodiversity and endemism. However, their effects on dispersal, differentiation and evolution of many groups of plants are still unknown. In this study, we examined the detailed diversification …
Glaciers in the Himalayan region are retreating following climate change which can lead to water scarcity for the people living downstream areas. The depleting glaciers can trigger the Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) posing a threat to the sustainability of hydropower projects and adversely impacting water sources, people, livestock, forests, …
If the Uttarakhand government has its way, lakhs of chir pines will be cut down in the name of curbing forest fires that have become rampant of late. Foresters in the hill state say have found that the chir, a variety of pine widespread in the lower Himalayas, is responsible …
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake of magnitude Mw 7.6 produced 75 km surface rupture showing 3–7 m vertical offset. The surface rupture nearly coinciding with the bedrock geology-defined Balakot-Bagh Fault (BBF) indicates reactivation of the fault. The BBF extends SE with right-step to the Reasi Thrust in Jammu region. Further SE …
Large earthquakes are thought to release strain on previously locked faults. However, the details of how earthquakes are initiated, grow and terminate in relation to pre-seismically locked and creeping patches is unclear. The 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake occurred close to Kathmandu in a region where the prior pattern …
Large earthquakes are thought to release strain on previously locked faults. However, the details of how earthquakes are initiated, grow and terminate in relation to pre-seismically locked and creeping patches is unclear1, 2, 3, 4. The 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake occurred close to Kathmandu in a region where …
Experts deliberated on several topics, including climate change, natural resource management, development and environment, on the second day of the Toppers’ Conclave today. Governor KK Paul was present throughout the lectures and provided grace and seriousness to the event. In the first session, guest speaker Prof Mangla Rai, who is …
The provision of declaring Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS) in the National Biodiversity Act 2002 provides an opportunity to give recognition to the community initiatives vis-a-vis the institution of the sacred natural sites (SNS). In brief, the salient feature of the Biodiversity Act 2002, as relates to the BHS, is that …
Scavengers, an inevitable part of our food chain, are on their way to extinction and have to be saved and preserved from disappearing from our skies as at present these natural scavengers are considered to be the most endangered bird species from falling prey to certain harmful substances in carcasses …
Is responsible for fast melting of glaciers in the region The lush green forests and snow-clad peaks of Kashmir might given an impression that the Valley is free from pollution, but the experts point out that Kashmir has three times more black carbon in the atmosphere than neighbouring states. As …
Two cloudbursts in Ganderbal and Shehnag last week have once again brought into focus the extreme weather phenomenon, which is becoming frequent in the fragile Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir. A deadly mix of heavy rain and landslides every year is leaving a trail of destruction with weather scientists …
