Hindu Kush Himalayan Glaciers Report 2026: ICIMOD Findings, Melting Trends & Climate Risks

A recent report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development titled Changing Dynamics of Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region (1990–2020) mapped about 63,761 glaciers in the region.

• The first ICIMOD report, titled HKH Glacier Outlook 2026: Insights from 50 Years of Himalayan Glacier Monitoring, draws on 302 annual observations from 38 representative glaciers recorded since September 1974.

Key Findings

• Mapping of Glaciers: The report has mapped 63,761 glaciers across the region covering nearly 55,782 square kilometres. 
  • These glaciers are the source of at least ten major Asian river systems, supporting the food, water, energy, and livelihood security of billions. 
  • Elevation-dependent Warming: Around 78% of this glacier area, situated between 4,500 and 6,000 metres above sea level, is highly exposed to elevation-dependent warming.
    • Elevation-dependent warming is a phenomenon where temperature rises faster at higher altitudes than at lower ones.
• Melting of Glaciers: The rate at which glaciers are melting across the Hindu Kush Himalayas has doubled since 2000.
  • Most recent decade recording increasingly frequent extreme melt years and mounting risks of catastrophic floods and long-term water insecurity for a region home to billions
• Glacial Disasters: Recent disasters such as the 2021 Chamoli disaster, South Lhonak Lake outburst flood 2023, and Dharali disaster 2024 highlight the rising frequency and impact of glacial-related hazards in India.
• The Hindu Kush Himalayas hold the largest volume of ice outside the poles.
• Loss of Glacier Area: The Indus Basin, which holds 41% of the total number of glaciers and 44% of the total glacierised area in the HKH, lost 6% of its glacier area between 1990 and 2020. 
  • The Ganga and Brahmaputra basins  which account for 13% and 20% of glaciers respectively experienced steeper reductions of 21% and 16%, despite hosting some of the region’s largest glaciers.
• Risk to Smaller Glaciers: Glaciers below 0.5 square kilometres are shrinking more rapidly than others  and three-quarters of the region’s glaciers fall into this vulnerable size class.
  • Impact: This poses immediate risks of localised water shortages for high mountain communities and intensifies hazards like glacial lake outburst floods.
• Glacier Monitoring: It began in June 1974 by the Geological Survey of India on the Gara Glacier in Himachal Pradesh.
  • The Chhota Shigri Glacier has the longest mass balance record in the western Himalaya.

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About the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Region

• A Large Extent: HKH stretches 3,500 kilometers and spans eight countries- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. 
  • 85% of mountain communities remain dependent on this biodiversity for food, water, flood control and cultural identity.
• A Biodiverse Region: It is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. Four of the world’s 36 global biodiversity hotspots are in this region. Two of the global 200 ecoregions, 575 Protected Areas, 335 important bird areas.
• Third Pole: It is known as the Third Pole, as it contains the largest volume of ice on earth outside of the Arctic and Antarctica.
• Water Tower of Asia: HKH is the source of 12 Asian river systems and is called the ‘Water tower of Asia’. It provides essential ecosystem services such as clean water for a third of the world’s population.
  • Syr Darya and Amu Darya towards the now-dead Aral Sea
  • The Tarim toward the Taklamakan
  • The Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra towards the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal
  • The Yellow river towards the Gulf of Bohai
  • The Yangtze towards the East China Sea
  • The Mekong towards the South China Sea
  • The Chindwin, Salween and Irrawaddy towards the Andaman Sea
• HKM in India: The entire territory of 11 mountain states (Assam, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh)  and Darjeeling district of West Bengal state are included in the HKH region.

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