The low snowfall rate on the Himalayas is causing scientists to worry about a very serious water shortage risk in 2024 for millions of people who depend on the melting snow from this mountain range.
A report from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) – an intergovernmental organization comprising member countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Nepal, based in Nepal, melting snow is the source of about one-fourth of the total water flow of 12 major river basins originating from the high mountain region.
The Himalayas are witnessing record low snowfall rates. (Source: AP).
The author of the report, Mr. Sher Muhammad, stated: “This is a wake-up call for researchers, policymakers, and the community in the downstream areas of the Himalayas. Less snow accumulation and increased variability pose a very serious water shortage risk, especially this year.”
Snow and ice on the Himalayas are crucial water sources for about 240 million people in the mountainous region as well as for 1.65 billion others in the river valleys below.
Scientists indicate that while snowfall varies each year, climate change is still causing erratic rainfall and changing weather patterns. The report measured the duration of snow on the ground and found that snowfall levels have decreased by nearly one-fifth compared to normal levels this year across the vast Hindu Kush and Himalaya region.
According to Mr. Muhammad, this year’s snow persistence level (18.5% of normal) is the second lowest in the past 22 years, closely approaching the record low of 19% set in 2018.
The ICIMOD report warns of significant changes in the timing and intensity of water flow, in which snow is a critical component. “Snow plays a particularly important role in ensuring seasonal water supply” – the ICIMOD report states.
This organization has been monitoring snow in the region for over two decades and remarked that 2024 marks a “significant anomaly.” The Ganges River basin flowing through India has recorded the lowest snow persistence rate noted by ICIMOD, below the average of 17%, worse than the 15% recorded in 2018.
The Helmand River basin in Afghanistan has the second lowest snow persistence level, down 32% from normal levels. Meanwhile, the Brahmaputra River basin, which ends in Bangladesh, has a “significantly below-normal” snow persistence rate of 15%.
