The length of time the snow will stay on the ground this year is 18.5 percent shorter than normal, said researcher Sher Muhammad from the Nepal-based Icimod science center. This means there is a very high risk of water shortages in the mountainous region and the valleys at the foot of the Himalayas.
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According to the researchers, around 240 million people in the Himalayan region and another 1.65 billion people along the rivers that originate in the Himalayas depend on the water generated by melting snow and ice. Less snowfall and a shorter duration of snow mean a higher risk of water shortages for them. The research center’s measurements and projections suggest that the timing and intensity of water flow will change, warned Icimod, which includes Nepal, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bhutan.
The scientists have been measuring snowfall in the region for more than two decades. This year, they reported, a “significant anomaly” has been observed. In the Ganges Basin, the duration of snow is 17 percent lower than normal, and in the Helmand Basin it is even 32 percent lower than average. The Icimod researchers appealed to the authorities in the region to take measures now to prepare for an impending drought.
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Source: Nachrichten
