Record Low Snowfall Sounds Alarm for Water Security in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

News Briefing: 26 January 2024

Mirroring the “snow drought” that struck western North America, mountains across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) have similarly bare peaks this winter due to extremely low snowfall since October. Farmers throughout the region, especially in snow-fed downstream regions of India and Bangladesh, are raising the alarm that continued low mountain snowpack will severely impact agriculture over the coming year. Researchers warn that even if there is significant snowfall in February and March, it will not be able to make up for the existing snow deficit; water resources will be strained during dry months this spring and summer. With rivers fed by mountain runoff potentially running dangerously low, farmers may be unable to irrigate fields or sustain livestock, leading to food insecurity, economic losses and migration that intensify without sufficient adaptation measures yet in place. With increasing impacts if temperatures continue to rise, global fossil fuel emissions must remain consistent with 1.5°C to protect the food supply of billions who live in the HKH and beyond.

https://blog.icimod.org/cryosphere-water/cryosphere-water-record-low-snowfall-sounds-alarm-for-water-security-in-the-hindu-kush-himalaya/