Melting Away of Himalayan Glaciers and Resulting Water Shortages in India and Pakistan

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sharan, Anand M.

Affiliations: Faculty of Engineering, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada A1B 3X5

Note: [] Corresponding author. E-mail: asharan@mun.ca

Abstract: This paper deals with an important phenomenon taking place these days – melting of polar ice caps and glaciers on various mountains around the globe. This phenomenon has already affected the population in India and Pakistan due to the drying up of rivers. This is an indication for those living in South East Asia, and Far East that without the rivers to irrigate fields, there would be major food crisis. In addition, it would result in mass migration of people due to the shortage of water. This paper, at first, provides evidences of drying up processes of rivers Indus in Pakistan and Ganga in India – to show that the adverse effect of the global warming is already there in India and Pakistan, and this fact was completely missed out at the Copenhagen Conference in December 2009. Next, the paper shows that, without the glaciers on the Himalayas, vast areas in India and Pakistan would turn into deserts because in these areas the climate would change drastically due to lack of vegetation and influx of solar energy.

Keywords: Melting of glaciers, melting of Himalayan glaciers, formation of desert, global food crisis, migration of populations

Journal: Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 67-72, 2012