UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that major Himalayan rivers like the Indus, the Ganges and Brahmaputra, all hugely important for India, could see reductions in their flows as glaciers and ice sheets recede over the coming decades due to global warming, reports NDTV.
"Glaciers are critical to all life on earth. Over centuries, they carved out the landmasses we call home. Today, they cover 10 per cent of our world. Glaciers are also the world's water towers," Guterres said in his remarks at an event on the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation Wednesday.
The UN chief voiced concern that human activity is driving the planet's temperature to dangerous new levels and "melting glaciers are the canary in the coalmine".
"As glaciers and ice sheets continue to recede over the coming decades, major Himalayan rivers like the Indus, the Ganges and Brahmaputra will feel the impact – seeing their flows reduced," Guterres said, adding the world has already witnessed how Himalayan melts have worsened flooding in Pakistan.
He added that rising sea levels combined with saltwater intrusion will decimate large parts of these huge deltas.
The event was held on the margins of the UN 2023 Water Conference – formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028) – currently underway at UN Headquarters.
Co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands, the March 22-24 conference will result in a summary of proceedings from the UNGA President that will feed into the 2023 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
He called on all countries to act as one to protect people and communities alike, emphasizing the urgent need to limit global warming to 1.5-degree rise to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul