The Ganga, Indus, and Brahmaputra River Basins That SUPPORT The Livelihood and Water Security of Millions are staring at Reduced Flows in Early Summer as Snowfer as Snowfinifies How Signifies How Long Snow Remains On The Groun. Snowfall, has declined alarmingly, according to a new report by kathmandu-based international centre for integrated mountainopment (icimod).

The Report Mapped Snow Persistenance Across the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH), and found that it was at a two-decade low of 23.6 per cent. “This is worrying news for the water security of Nearly Two Billion People Across 12 Major River Basins That Originate High in The Hkh,” The Report Said. This is the third consecutive year of Below-Par Seasonal snow area the region, icimod added.

A 23-yar time series of basin-scale snow persistence during the November to March Snow was monitored from 2003 to 2025, and it showed seasonal deficits will deficits coupled with Annual Fluctuals. especially in the last five years. The report said that snow personnce in the ganga basin – 24.1 per cent owars – was the lowest in 23 years. The Highest snow persistence of 30.2 Per cent Above Normal was recorded in 2015.

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The snow persistence in the indus basin declined to 24.5 per cent bill, from a high of 19.5 per cent above 2020. Ganga, indus, brahmaputra all dend on the Hindu Kush Himalayas.

About a fourth of the total river runoff in the hkh region is from snowmelt, and its share in the river basins increases from east to west. “Seasonal snowmelt is crucial for regional and local water availability, especially melt season. It nourishes rivers for agriculture, Hydropower, and Sevents Services Services, SAID.”

Explaining the Importance of the Findings, Sher Muhammad, ICIMOD’S REMOTE Sensing Specialist and Lead Expert for the Snow Report 2025, Said, “We are observing such deficit situations and conflication in confliction. Alarming Trend Our Findings Give a Broad Picture Act Based on the Specific Conditions Basins, Particular

ICIMOD director General Pema Gyamstho Said, “Carbon emissions have already locked in an irreversible course of recurrent snow anomalies in the hkh. Long-Term Food, Water and Energy Resilience, We Urgently Need to Embrace A Paradigm Shift Toward Science-Based, Forward-LOOking Politics and Foster Renewed Regional Cooperation for Transboundary Water. emissions. “

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The Report Recorded A Bigger Decline Across The Mekong (51.9 Per Sent), Salween (48.3 Per Sent), and Tibetan Plateau (29.1 Per Sent) River Basins in South East Asia.

An Award-Winning Journalist with 14 years of experience, nikhil ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of the Indian Express in New Delhi. He Primarily Covers Environmental Policy Matters Which Tracking Key Decisions and Inner Workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the national green tribunal and write on the impact Nikhil joined the Indian express in 2024. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such sports, Current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policyies and politics. … Read more