The Himalayan mountains provide water to 1.3 billion people. The sources of 10 of the world’s longest rivers are in the Himalayas. As a result, more than 3 billion people are dependent on hydropower or other resources supplied by these mountains.
The monsoon climate in the eastern and central Himalayas brings extreme weather changes. Eighty per cent of the precipitation falls over three months and the rest of the year is extremely dry. The climate situation means that more energy is released into the atmosphere, which could result in more rain for a shorter time and also longer dry periods.
Mats Eriksson, senior water specialist at the ICIMOD, says: “This is a gigantic problem in the entire region. People will be forced to save water for longer periods.”
When the glaciers melt, they form new lakes that lie as huge dams behind mountain ridges. These dams burst occasionally. Powerful torrents gather stones, gravel and earth that have amalgamated in the lakes and wash away bridges, roads, hydroelectric power stations, houses and wheat fields.
“This is 100 per cent related to global warming,” Eriksson says.
In northern Pakistan, where torrents are common, inhabitants try to make meteorological assessments themselves. When they see a mass of cloud, they know that it is raining or snowing heavily up in the mountains. Then they lie awake at night with their shoes on or look for protection on the mountain slopes.
The local population has been building houses on poles for a long time to protect themselves against torrents. The houses are built and agricultural land is farmed in areas where there is the least risk of landslides.
“Our work is based on identifying methods that people use to adapt to the climate,” Eriksson says. “We then work together to improve these methods instead of introducing new ones that don’t suit the local structure.”
The Himalayas are home to 200 million people. Poverty is widespread and there is a lack of schools, roads and infrastructure. There are few opportunities for people to support themselves. The competition for water resources is one of the reasons for conflicts in the area.
Although the mountains are vital to billions of people, there is a lack of knowledge of how the Himalayas are affected by global warming.
“We’re trying to get more knowledge about how climate change is affecting the Himalayas to be able to make better decisions,” Eriksson says.
From its base in Kathmandu, Nepal, the ICIMOD supplies knowledge and training to countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Burma, Nepal and Pakistan.
By spreading good examples of traditional methods, people in the Himalayas can better adapt themselves to varying weather conditions. Good examples and knowledge are also used to influence authorities in the region so that they can introduce better laws, guidelines and support.
“Sida’s support has been extremely important,” Eriksson says. “We’ve been able to raise these issues in a completely different way. Today, more people are interested in how these problems will affect the billions of people living downstream.”
