Melting glaciers along the mountain range have meant there has been more water run-off than normal during spring in recent years. However, this trend is expected to reverse in future as the glaciers shrink – potentially leading to drought. A growing body of research has documented how melting glaciers will impact the long-term water supplies on which hundreds of millions of people across Asia depend. During times of drought glaciers become the largest suppliers of water to Asia’s major river basin, that study found. It calculated that each year the glaciers release enough water to meet the basic needs of about 220 million people.

Source: The Irish Times June 20, 2019 18:00 UTC