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 …
Fast melting of glaciers in the Himalayas may raise the temperature by 4 °C by the end of the century and also impact country’s food security. Prof Anil Kulkarni, chairman of the Project Advisory Committee on Himalayan Glaciology and a visiting scientist at the Indian Institute of Sciences (IIS) Bangalore, …
Eminent scientists and experts engaged in study of Himalayan glaciology have stressed the need for reduction in carbon emissions and more inter-disciplinary and collaborative approach on a large scale to study the receding glaciers that feed all main rivers. More than 100 scientists and experts from premiere institutes across the …
Human activity was responsible for the rising natural calamities in the Himalayan region. Along with taking precautions to mitigate the disasters, there is a need to develop the communication network at local, Himalayan, Asian and global levels. If these steps are not taken on time massive disasters cannot be averted. …
Tell govt-appointed panel to prepare policy in favour of small ones Tribals in the snowbound Lahaul-Spiti district Wednesday rejected the construction of big hydro power projects, pleading that the projects would lead to an eco-disaster in the eco-fragile valley. They expressed their views in Udaipur and Keylong before the state …
SHIMLA: After conserving snow leopard and western tragopan, Himachal Pradesh is going to launch a conservation programme for the endangered Himalayan brown bear by setting up the country's first conservation and breeding centre for the pheasant in Chamba district, for which the Union government has already given in-principle approval. The …
NAGPUR : Over a hundred groups and individuals from across the country have opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government's move to dilute environmental laws. A two-day consultation (held on October 8-9 at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi) discussed the recent change to environmental laws and the subsequent impact on …
The Uttarakhand Jan Morcha (UJM) has pulled up its socks against the proposed construction of the Pancheshwar dam on the Kali River between India and Nepal. According to the UJM, a front to oppose the construction of this dam will be formed after a visit to the areas in the …
The strong present-day Asian monsoons are thought to have originated between 25 and 22 million years (Myr) ago, driven by Tibetan–Himalayan uplift. However, the existence of older Asian monsoons and their response to enhanced greenhouse conditions such as those in the Eocene period (55–34 Myr ago) are unknown because of …
The researchers studied the Farquhar model for carbon isotopic discrimination (change in carbon isotopic composition from air CO2 to tree-ring cellulose) in C3 plants to trees growing in the field. Two new carbon isotope datasets from Himalayan conifers with published data from another eight sites across the world show disparate …
The response of the Himalayan glaciers to climate change is very puzzling in many ways. Despite being subjected to similar climate changes, some of these glaciers appear to be stagnant as their fronts (or mouths) appear to be stationary. However, appearances can be deceptive and these glaciers are in one …
Lalpani, a reserve forest, lies four kilometres off Shimla. For all the protection it is supposed to get, there is a giant heap of rubbish festering in it, a proof of neglect and contempt for environmental laws. Lalpani is not an isolated pocket. It's the same with the rest of …
Every year, like clockwork, India is caught between the spectre of months of crippling water shortages and drought and months of devastating floods. In 2014, there has been no respite from this annual cycle. But something new and strange is indeed afoot. Each year, the floods are growing in intensity. …
Managing water resources is one of the major challenges of our century. Nowhere could this be more so than for the waters emanating from the Hindu Kush Himalayas, which is already characterized by a situation of ‘too much and too little’ water. Floods and droughts are already common, and the …
ICIMOD’s Poverty and Vulnerability Assessment (PVA) is a household survey tool designed to capture key elements of poverty, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity in mountain contexts for the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. The PVA combines general predictors of poverty with indicators that are particularly relevant in mountain contexts, where factors …
Unfortunately, this is the ugly truth of the Himalayas. The heap, which includes biodegradable plastic, can be found just four kilometres from Shimla in the reserved forest of Lalpani. And this is not an isolated pocket either. The amount of plastic and other bio-degradable waste in the Himalayas is growing …
Plastic bottles, wrappers and polythene covers mark the trail in most parts of the Himalayan range in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of north India which are open to tourists and trekkers. Trekkers are reported to be the main culprits contributing to "water bombs" which can flood the area. Non-biodegradable …
The unprecedented Uttarakhand floods of June 2013 generated a large volume of scientific literature. They offered clear technical explaination to the media reported sequence of events ofen in a historical perspective. Some ambiguities, however, remained in some of the works. For example. Dobhal et al. described that starting from 06:45 …
An attempt has been made to characterize the subglacial pathways that transport the meltwaters from Chaturangi and Raktavarn glaciers through the lower ablation zone of the Gangotri glacier, Indian Himalaya, by means of dye tracer experiments. Original Source
In the high, hostile peaks of the Himalayas where sustaining life is a challenge in itself, scientists say they have found a “wonder herb” that can regulate the immune system, help adapt to the mountain environment and, above all, protect from radioactivity. Rhodiola, a herb found in the cold and …
KATHMANDU, Aug 18: A joint project working on climate change adaptation, food security and gender issues in the Hindu Kush Himalayas has shared insights with Norwegian bureaucrats, community leaders, and the public in Norway recently. According to the ICIMOD office that released the press statement from Kathmandu on Monday, the …
