Glaciers and Polar Ice Caps

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February 12, 2021
Need to revamp developmental planning in the Uttarakhand hills
The havoc points to the faultlines in the developmental planning of ecologically sensitive areas.
The glacial burst in Chamoli is nature’s way of telling the state not to play havoc with the local ecology. (Image: Down to Earth)
February 10, 2021
The Uttarakhand disaster: A warning to be better prepared!
The Uttarakhand disaster reaffirms earlier warnings on the fragility of the Himalayan region calling for more careful planning and preparedness in the future!
A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
December 6, 2019
India’s tryst with climate change
Dr. Aradhana Yaduvanshi, a hydro meteorologist at WOTR, talks to us about what current research on global warming shows, and possible adaptation and coping mechanisms.
Flooding in Mumbai during the monsoons (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
December 6, 2019
Holistic approach needed to clean the Ganga
A report by the India Rivers Forum highlights the need to focus further than the main stem of the Ganga river.
Distant snow clad mountains, the smaller hills and the Ganga river (Image: Srimoyee Banerjee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
November 6, 2019
300 million people will be vulnerable to annual coastline flooding by 2050
The number of people vulnerable to floods triggered by climate change by 2050 is triple that of previous estimates, according to a new study.
Aerial view of Chennai during floods 2015 (Image: Veethika, Wikimedia Commons, CC-SA 4.0 International)
October 24, 2019
Ice stupas, the contested water towers of Ladakh
While ice stupas have been hailed as sustainable solutions to the water problems of Ladakh’s villages, the locals think otherwise.
Ice Stupas near Phyang monastery (Image Courtsey: Sumita Roy Dutta, Wikimedia Commons)
Global warming leads to vanishing glaciers
Glacier melt in Himalayas to increase rapidly till 2050, then may decrease, says study by IIT
Mohd Farooq Azam
Jeffrey S Kargel
Joseph M Shea
Santosh Nepal
Umesh K Haritashya
Smriti Srivastava
Fabien Maussion
Nuzhat Qazi
Pierre Chevallier
A P Dimri
Anil V Kulkarni
J Graham Cogley
Isa M Bahuguna
Posted on 20 Jul, 2021 03:22 PM

The Himalaya-Karakoram region in South Asia is often called the water tower of Asia or the Third Pole. It is one of the most heavily glacierized mountain regions on Earth.
Parkachik glacier, a part of the Zanskar region, Ladakh (Image: Mahua Sarkar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Need to revamp developmental planning in the Uttarakhand hills
The havoc points to the faultlines in the developmental planning of ecologically sensitive areas.
Gurinder Kaur
Arjun Kumar
Posted on 12 Feb, 2021 11:02 AM

The recent catastrophe in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, where a large part of the Nanda Devi Glacier fell into the Alaknanda stream near Joshimath, caused severe flooding.
The glacial burst in Chamoli is nature’s way of telling the state not to play havoc with the local ecology. (Image: Down to Earth)
The Uttarakhand disaster: A warning to be better prepared!
The Uttarakhand disaster reaffirms earlier warnings on the fragility of the Himalayan region calling for more careful planning and preparedness in the future!
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 10 Feb, 2021 02:40 PM

Uttarakhand's Chamoli district experienced massive floods on the morning of 7th February 2021.
A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
Over 97 million Indians were currently being exposed to extreme floods: Report
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 23 Dec, 2020 03:53 PM

75 percent districts in India are hotspots of extreme climate events: Report
75 percent districts in India are hotspots of extreme climate events (Source: IWP Flickr photos))
The fast disappearing glaciers of Kashmir
The glaciers located in the Kashmir Himalayas are melting at rapid rates posing a threat to water security in the region!. How is Kashmir coping?
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 11 Sep, 2020 02:27 PM

Kashmir’s glaciers are melting at frightening rates. Kolahoi glacier, the largest glacier in Kashmir Himalayas, has lost 23 percent area since 1962 and has fragmented into smaller parts!

Glaciers, frozen rivers of ice
Kolahoi glacier in Kashmir (Image Source: Irfanaru via Wikimedia Commons)
Book review: Future Earth
The book outlines how to reverse the short- and long-term effects of climate change over the next three decades.
Sneha Krishnan
Posted on 23 Aug, 2020 07:57 PM
Climate change (Image: Kai Stachowiak; Public domain pictures)
"Everything’s devastated, and no one is listening to us!"
Surrounded by flood waters, and taking shelter at rooftops with a limited supply of food and drinking water, people of Bihar wait for the floods to end.
Umesh Kumar Ray
Posted on 08 Aug, 2020 06:52 PM

"All of a sudden, water entered the house at night. Goods and cattle were submerged. There is no place to eat or drink. We have been in trouble for three days, but no one has come to help us.” The elderly Gauri Singh complains, with mixed feelings of anger, pain and helplessness. 
Floodwater enters Satjoda village of Chapra (Source: Umesh Kumar Ray)
Global infections from water poised to rise with climate change
As climate change handshakes water contamination, we pass by very much uncertain times.
Sunderrajan Krishnan
Posted on 24 Apr, 2020 04:11 PM

Climate change triggered heat waves threaten water availability

Ninjallama rues as she remembers, " It was a terrible summer. The heat wave was killing. Three people died in my village. People with skeletal fluorosis suffered .. "

Water contamination, a growing concern (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
A climate change wake-up call
Climate change can lead to large-scale economic knock-on effects, says a McKinsey Global Institute report.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 21 Jan, 2020 06:53 AM

A new McKinsey Global Institute report, ‘Climate risk and response: Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts’, suggests that many assumptions about the pote
Heat-exposed work has produced about half of India’s GDP, and employs about 75 percent of the labor force. There will be a need to shift working hours for outdoor workers and undertake heat management efforts (Image: Ian D Keating, Flickr Commons, CC BY 2.0)
India’s tryst with climate change
Dr. Aradhana Yaduvanshi, a hydro meteorologist at WOTR, talks to us about what current research on global warming shows, and possible adaptation and coping mechanisms.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 06 Dec, 2019 04:23 PM

Global warming has given rise to unprecedented extreme events such as cyclones, floods, heatwaves and droughts in India. Why are these threats increasing?
Flooding in Mumbai during the monsoons (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
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