Himalayan Glaciers Melt: South Asia Faces Water Crisis

South Asia is experiencing escalating hydrological risks, with its river systems increasingly unpredictable due to declining groundwater, snow, and glaciers. The World Meteorological Organization's 2025 report reveals global river discharge was at its driest in 35 years, with 36% of basins showing below-normal flows. Despite high discharge in South and Southeast Asia in 2025, terrestrial water storage, especially in the Ganges-Indus headwaters, remained low.

Glaciers worldwide have experienced widespread loss, with cumulative mass loss between 2023 and 2025 reaching approximately 1,400 gigatonnes. This meltwater, while increasing short-term runoff, diminishes long-term storage and alters seasonal river flows. The devastating rock-ice avalanche in Rasuwa, Nepal, on August 26, 2026, exemplifies compound mountain hazards, triggered by a combination of geological factors, permafrost degradation, and glacier retreat intensified by rising temperatures.

Flash floods along Nepal's Budhi Gandaki River in October 2026, potentially caused by landslides and debris surges, further illustrate the region's vulnerability. These events damaged infrastructure, disrupted services, and necessitated significant rescue operations. The WMO emphasizes that such incidents require integrated hazard assessment, improved monitoring, and cross-border data sharing to enhance early warning frameworks and disaster management capabilities.

Recent decades have seen a rise in the 0°C isotherm in the Himalayas, with human-caused warming estimated to have increased local temperatures. The WMO's expanded data collection aims to improve forecasting and risk communication, particularly for Asia and Africa, which bear a disproportionate burden of hydrological extremes and related deaths. The BRICS Summit in New Delhi has provided a platform to discuss early warning data integration and disaster management strategies for greater resilience.