Climate change-induced rising temperatures and erratic monsoons is set to threaten South Asia’s crucial freshwater sources — the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) — that feed the 10 largest river systems in Asia, including the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra which sustains over 600 million people, according to a new report by ICIMOD.
While rapid industrialization, urbanization, and intensive agriculture along with pollution from sewage and industrial waste have already degraded health of the majority of the identified rivers which are lifeline for India too, climate change is all set to compound these challenges, leading to more frequent and severe flooding and droughts, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups including women, people with disabilities and marginalised communities, the report added.
Similarly, the Indus river — a lifeline for more than 268 million people across Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and China — is under unprecedented stress due to climate change. Rising temperatures, erratic monsoons and environmental degradation are pushing the basin towards a crisis point.
The scale of climate change impacts in the Indus basin is overwhelming, undermining food security, livelihoods and water security, while in the Brahmaputra basin, climate change — coupled with dams and development work — is poised to escalate flooding and droughts, particularly in its lower basin.
Glacial melt rates are expected to rise, impacting water availability across the region. While currently there are no major water diversions in the basin, upstream dam construction and climate change projections are likely to reduce dry season flows in downstream areas, affecting millions of lives, the report has painted grim picture.