How is climate change affecting India's rivers?

Climate change is causing intensifying floods, droughts, and glacial retreat, which are placing unprecedented stress on India's already fragile water systems. The retreat of Himalayan glaciers threatens to disrupt vital dry-season river flows.

What is causing the decline of India's river baseflows?

Groundwater depletion, driven by the expansion of groundwater-irrigated agriculture, has led to a decline in baseflow - the slow release of rainwater from aquifers that once sustained many Indian rivers even during the dry season.

What solutions are experts proposing to address India's water crisis?

Experts argue that addressing India's water crisis requires modernizing aging infrastructure, managing groundwater extraction, embracing adaptive water governance, improving data sharing, and conducting more grounded primary research to inform better decision-making and policy.

Home / Environment / India's Vanishing Rivers: Climate Change Threatens Ancient Water Systems

India's Vanishing Rivers: Climate Change Threatens Ancient Water Systems

10 Nov

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Summary

India's water resources unevenly distributed, with 60% in Ganga-Brahmaputra basin
Climate change causing glacial retreat, extreme floods and droughts
Groundwater depletion leading to decline in river baseflows

India's Vanishing Rivers: Climate Change Threatens Ancient Water Systems

India's water crisis is entering a new era, shaped by the unpredictable disruptions of climate change. As of November 2025, the country is grappling with intensifying floods, droughts, and glacial retreat, placing unprecedented stress on its already fragile water systems.

The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident. A consistent warming trend is increasing water demand, while rainfall patterns show greater variability, with some regions experiencing declining seasonal rainfall. Compounding this uncertainty is the retreat of the Himalayan glaciers, which currently contribute significantly to dry-season river flows. As glacial melt accelerates, an initial increase in flow could be followed by steep declines, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions downstream.