Water shortages loom as glaciers melt

Hundreds of millions of people could face water shortages as Himalayan glaciers are rapidly melting, the WWF has warned.

The report by the global conservation organisation, formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund, found that the rate of retreat of Himalayan glaciers is accelerating as global warming increases – at an average of between 10-15 metres per year. The WWF warns that China, India and Nepal could face severe water shortages in years to come as a result.

Jennifer Morgan, Director of WWF's Global Climate Change Programme, said: "The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers will first increase the volume of water in rivers causing widespread flooding. But in a few decades this situation will change and the water level in rivers will decline, meaning massive economic and environmental problems for people in Western China, Nepal and Northern India.”

The Himalayan glaciers feed into seven of Asia's greatest rivers, including the Ganges, Mekong and Yangtze, providing water to hundreds of millions of people in the Indian subcontinent and China all year round. However, the WWF warned that the dwindling glacier water flow would cause a decrease in the energy potential of hydroelectric power, as well as cause problems for farmers who require regular irrigation for good crop production.

The WWF report showed that in Nepal, which has an annual average temperature rise of 0.06 degrees Celsius per year, three of the snow-fed rivers have shown declining trends in discharge. The Oinhai Plateau's wetlands in China have also seen declining lake water levels, lake shrinkage, the absence of water flow in rivers and streams and the degradation of swamp wetlands. In India, the Gangotri glacier, which supports one of India's largest river basins, has also been affected – the report said that is was receding at an average rate of 23 metres per year.

The WWF report has been released just before a two-day meeting of representatives of the 20 largest energy-using economies in the world, including China and India, as well as a meeting of G8 development and environment ministers to discuss climate change and Africa, which will both be held in London this week.

Ms Morgan said: “Ministers should realize now that the world faces an economic and development catastrophe if the rate of global warming isn't reduced. They need to work together on reducing CO2 emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy and implementing energy efficiency measures."

(KMcA/SP)