Himalayan glaciers are not just frozen reservoirs of water; they are the lifeblood of South Asia. These colossal ice masses feed major river systems, including the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra, directly impacting over a billion people. However, these glaciers are vanishing at an alarming rate, putting millions of lives, biodiversity, and entire ecosystems at grave risk.
Among them, the Gangotri Glacier stands out, supplying water to the sacred and economically crucial Ganges River. The glacier’s retreat is not just an environmental concern but a looming humanitarian crisis, threatening water security, agriculture, energy production, and even cultural heritage.
The Gangotri Glacier is just one part of a larger crisis, other Himalayan Glacier including Yamunotri, Pindari, Milan and Sunder Dhunga Glaciers are also Shrinking impacting tributaries such as the Yamuna, Kali and Ramganga rivers. This accelerating glacier retreat is disputing the delicate balance of the Ganga River system.
The Himalayas are warming at nearly twice the global average, causing glaciers to melt at an accelerated pace. Several studies, including those conducted by the Indian Space. Research Organisation (ISRO), confirm that Himalayan glaciers have lost over 20 per cent of their ice mass in the last four decades.
The Gangotri Glacier, which feeds the Ganges, has retreated by approximately 1,500 meters since 1935, with an annual recession rate of 10-22 meters. Scientists warn that by 2050, many smaller glaciers feeding the Ganges may completely disappear, leading to severe water shortages across northern India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
The situation is dire for other glaciers as well for example Yamunotri Glacier (source of the Yamuna River) is shrinking, affecting water supply to Delhi and surrounding regions. Pindari, Milam, and Sunderdhunga river area depleting, impacting tributaries such as the Kali, Ramganga. Chorabari Glacier (Kedarnath region) is receding, increasing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), similar to the catastrophic 2013 Kedarnath floods.
The retreat of Himalayan glaciers will severely impact freshwater availability. The Ganges, which supports more than 400 Million people, is at risk of reduced flow in the dry season. This would devastate agriculture in the Indo-Gangetic plains, one of the most fertile regions on Earth. Without adequate glacial meltwater, farmers will face severe droughts, reducing crop yields and leading to food shortages.
As glaciers melt, rivers swell, leading to devastating floods. Initially, increased meltwater boosts river flows, but as glaciers deplete, erratic water patterns emerge, alternating between excessive flooding and extreme drought.
There are over 2.500 glacial lakes in the Himalayas, with more than 200 classified as dangerous and among them 50 glacier lakes in the Himalayas as “very highly hazardous”. These lakes, formed by melting glaciers, can burst due to landslides or earthquakes, triggering catastrophic floods downstream.
As a result of glacial melting and heavy rainfall, the flash floods killed over 6.000 people, in Kedarnath in 2013 washing away entire villages. A chunk of the Nanda Devi Glacier collapsed, leading to floods that killed over 200 people and destroyed two hydroelectric projects in Chamoli in the year 2021.
The melting of permafrost (frozen ground) destabilizes mountain slopes, triggering landslides and rockfalls. Roads, villages, and even major infrastructure projects like dams and tunnels are at constant risk.
Uttarakhand Tunnel under construction in the Himalayas collapsed, trapping dozens of workers due to unstable, melting permafrost and excessive rainfall.
Entire villages in Himachal Pradesh, Nepal, and Arunachal Pradesh are being abandoned as the land underneath them becomes unstable.
Glacial meltwater is the primary source of many South Asian rivers. If glaciers continue to retreat at the current rate the Ganga will dry up during summer months, leading to severe water shortages and the Indus and Brahmaputra Rivers will also suffer reduced flows, threatening millions in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh and Salinity levels in coastal Bangladesh will rise, destroying freshwater ecosystems.
Himalayan forests depend on glacial-fed rivers. As river flows decrease, many plant species will perish. Endangered species like the snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, and black-necked crane are at risk as their habitats shrink.
Even the fisheries in the Ganges and Brahmaputra will collapse due to erratic water temperatures and reduced oxygen levels in the rivers.
As glaciers melt, ancient pathogens trapped in ice for thousands of years may resurface. Scientists warn that melting permafrost in the Arctic and Himalayas could release deadly viruses and bacteria.
Rising temperatures also increase the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentery due to contaminated water sources.
For millions, the Ganges is not just a river but a sacred entity. Hindu beliefs hold that the Ganges descended from the heavens to cleanse humanity’s sins.
The Gangotri Glacier, the river’s source, is thus considered divine. The retreat of the Gangotri Glacier represents not just an environmental disaster but a spiritual crisis.
Many believe that a receding Ganges is a sign of moral and ecological imbalance. The river is celebrated in countless hymns, scriptures, and festivals, yet today, it is polluted, shrinking, and at risk of vanishing. Air pollution is accelerating glacial melting. Black carbon (soot) from vehicles, industries, and crop burning settles on ice, reducing its reflectivity. As a result, glaciers absorb more heat, melting 50 per cent faster than they would naturally.
A study by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) found that black carbon contributes to nearly 30 per cent of the total glacier melting in the Himalayas.
The burning of fossil fuels in India, Nepal, and China is significantly worsening the problem.
Regional and Global Consequences like Hydropower projects in Nepal, which rely on glacial meltwater, are at serious risk due to erratic water flow.
The cities like Kathmandu face severe drinking water shortages, impacting millions and in the Tibetan Plateau, known as the “Water Tower of Asia,” is drying up, affecting the Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow Rivers. China’s water security is under threat, leading to geopolitical tensions.
The Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta is experiencing severe water shortages and rising sea levels. Salinity intrusion in coastal areas is making agricultural land unusable, displacing millions.
Glacial melt from the Himalayas contributes to rising sea levels, threatening coastal cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Dhaka, and Karachi. The global sea level is rising by 0.13 inches per year, with estimates suggesting a 10-32 inch rise by the end of the century, endangering low-lying islands and coastal megacities.
The melting of Himalayan glaciers is an existential crisis. This is not just about losing ice-it is about losing water security, agriculture, biodiversity, and entire cultures. The crisis threatens the livelihoods of millions, disrupts ancient river systems, and accelerates natural disasters.
If the current trends continue, South Asia faces an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. The melting glaciers of the Himalayas are a warning-one that the world cannot afford to ignore. Urgent global action is needed to mitigate climate change and protect the lifeline of over a billion people before it is too late.
(The writer is a lawyer at the Supreme Court of India. Views expressed are personal)
