HI-WISE report

• Water, Ice, Society, and Ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (Hi-Wise) Report was recently released by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
• The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is one of the highest mountain ranges in the world. It is also referred as the Third Pole and water tower of Asia.

MAJOR FINDINGS-

• Many areas around the world have passed “peak water” and communities are dealing with less glacier meltwater.
  • For the HKH, the peak point has not been reached yet, but it is coming soon.
• As Himalayan glaciers melt due to climate change, water availability in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra is set to increase (through 2050) in the short term and decrease in the long term (~80% by 2100).
• The HKH has seen a 65% faster loss of glacier mass.
• The Eastern/ lesser Himalayas have fewer glaciers compared to their western counterparts. Hence, rivers in the region get less contribution from glaciers and are less likely to be affected overall.
• Climate change is severely affecting biodiversity in HKH.
  • For example, the habitat of Himalayan ibex is likely to reduce by 33 to 64%.

ABOUT ICIMOD

• It is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge-sharing centre serving the 8 regional member countries (RMCs) of the HKH region – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• It was established in 1983 and is headquartered at Lalitpur, which is located in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal.
• ICIMOD promotes and fosters partnerships amongst the RMCs to secure a better future for the people and environment of the HKH region.