Shimla, Aug. 26 -- The Himachal Pradesh government through State Remote Sensing Cell is actively working on creation of a state-level glacier registry as the overall area under glaciers has reduced, indicating a gradual shrinkage of glaciers. This was shared by the state government in reply to the question raised by Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma during the ongoing monsoon session on Monday. He sought the government's response on what policy/plan is the government adopting to save the glaciers keeping in mind changing climatic conditions and has the government conducted any study on this. The reply that was tabled in the House through CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that the state government, through the State Remote Sensing Cell, is developing a state-level glacier registry. The state pointed out that the scientific analysis revealed that while the number of glaciers has remained stable or shown minor increases, their overall area has reduced, indicating a gradual shrinkage of glaciers. The state has five major river systems - Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Yamuna, and Chenab. These rivers are fed by about 800 glaciers located in the upper reaches, covering an area of 3,124.713 sq. km. Together, the five river basins span nearly 55,000 sq. km, with a total catchment area of 53,311 sq. km. The reply by the government said that the water resources in Himachal Pradesh mainly come from glacier-fed rivers. As reported in the SAPCC, the state government, through its Space Application Centre, has undertaken analysis and studies focused specifically on glaciers. The state government said that under the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) Version 2.0 (2021-2030) of Himachal Pradesh includes specific policies and measures to protect glaciers from the impacts of climate change. The SAPCC, in line with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), focuses on conserving the Himalayan ecosystem through the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE). This mission aims to develop strategies for protecting glaciers and the mountain environment. Under the State Mission for Ecosystem, Biodiversity and Livelihood Sustainability and the State Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change, the state will carry out studies on the impacts of climate change using available information about glaciers and other public land of ecological importance, including entire watersheds. Through this the state will prepare a state-level glacier inventory and identify actions to reduce or manage the effects of climate change on glaciers. Under the Integrated Studies of Himalayan Cryosphere (ISHC), glacier inventories from 2016-2019 were compared with those from 2001-2002 for various basins in Himachal Pradesh. The scientific analysis revealed that while the number of glaciers has remained stable or shown minor increases, their overall area has reduced, indicating a gradual shrinkage of glaciers....