Shocking decrease in snow persistence caused concerns about havoc water shortage in the Indus Basin.
Water crisis is not a new thing. According to United Nations Environment Protection (UNEP) report: “At least 50 per cent of the planet's population – 4 billion people – deal with water shortfalls at least one month of the year.” The condition is even more worse in desert areas. However, Himalayan region of India is believed to be on the safer side earlier. Unfortunately, the situation is not the same now. A recent report has rang the warning bells for water shortage in the Indus basin regions.
Snow persistence is a modern day estimation snow from the data captured from remote sensing about snowpack accumulation and ablation, duration of snow on the ground in a given time period.
Experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a Nepal-based intergovernmental organisation have published a report on decreasing snow persistence in Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.
The data showed “almost a fifth below normal across the region this year, with the most dramatic declines in the west, where its contribution to water supply is the highest.”
The Snow Update Report - 2024 mentioned: “Snow persistence dropped 17 per cent below normal in the Ganga basin and 14.6 per cent below normal in the Brahmaputra basin.”
The HKH region is dependent on the cryosphere or the frozen water on the surface of the Earth, such as snow, permafrost, and ice from glaciers. This frozen water is a crucial for providing freshwater for approximately 240 million or 24 crore people living in this region.
At least 12 major river basins originate in the HKH region. Among these, snowmelt feeds 23% of total water flow. However, different rivers get varying flow. Amu Darya, Helmand, and Indus get 74%, 78% and 40% flow from snowmelt water.
The snow persistence is the lowest in the Helmand river basin (31.8% below normal), followed by Indus basin (23.8% below normal). Meanwhile, such a low snow persistence in Helmand river basin was observed in 2018 for the last time. The Indus basin reported such a rapid loss in snow content 22 years ago.
ICIMOD cryosphere specialist Sher Muhammad said: “This is a wake-up call for researchers, policymakers and downstream communities. Lower snow accumulation and fluctuating snow levels pose a serious increased risk of water shortages, particularly this year.”
In South Asia, countries share trans-boundary rivers. Thus, it becomes highly important to collaborate for scientific water management. Some experts are suggesting rainwater harvesting as the only way to solve the crisis.
Miriam Jackson, ICIMOD's senior cryosphere specialist, said: “Plans must be updated to accommodate water stress, and communities need to be notified of the risks. Beyond that, it's clear that governments and people in this region need urgent support to adapt to changes in snow patterns that carbon emissions have already locked in. G20 countries need to cut emissions faster than ever before to prevent even more changes that could prove disastrous to major population centres and industries reliant on snowmelt in the mountains.”
The researchers have asked government to prepare drought management strategies along with emergency water supply measures.
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