The slightly low snow layer, the water shortage threatens 2 billion people – Liberation

There snow layer persistent of the Hindu Kush-Himalayaswhich goes from Afghanistan to Burma, is at its lowest. A floor that threatens water resources of almost two billion people, warns this Monday, April 21, the International Center for integrated mountain development (ICimod), which has been operating for 23 years.

« There was less precipitation and the snowy season which usually begins in October-November started at the end of January »explains Sher Muhammad, principal author of Icimod’s report. Drought alerts have been launched in several countries in the area, threatening to come to come and access to populations of populations already confronted with longer, warmer and more frequent heat waves. There hydroelectricity production is also threatened.

The Center report, based in Kathmandu and which brings together researchers from the whole of the regionevokes a list of risks of which « Reduced river flows, increased dependence on groundwater, risks of drought up ».

The Icimod urges in its report the countries dependent on the twelve basins supplying the rivers of the region to « Prepare suitable water management strategies » And « To improve the anticipation of droughts ». The report particularly sounds the alarm for the Bassins of the Mekong and Salouen, the two longest rivers of Southeast Asia which especially feed China and Burma.

For the owner of Icimod, Pema Gyamtsho, it is now necessary « Proactive political actions to create long -term resilience ». « Carbon emissions have already launched an irreversible process of recurring abnormalities of the snowy phenomenon in the Kush-Himalaya Hindu chain »he assures.

But in these countries, for many among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and the poorest on the planet, modern infrastructures and techniques of irrigation or water supply are lacking. According to the world meteorological organization, Asia is the region of the world most affected by climate -related disasters. It also notes an accelerated increase in key indicators of climate change such as temperatures, the melting of glaciers and the rise in sea level.