New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- Five months before the devastating flash floods in Nepal, two reports had warned of accelerating glacier loss across the Hindu Kush Himalaya and the growing risks associated with it. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in two reports published in March 2026, said glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya were melting at an increasingly rapid rate. The reports found that up to 27 metres of glacial ice thickness had been lost since 1975.
They also stated that between 1990 and 2020, glaciers in the region lost about 12 per cent of their total area and 9 per cent of their estimated ice reserves. The rate of glacial wastage had doubled since 2000, indicating that parts of the Himalayan cryosphere could be approaching critical tipping points towards irreversible retreat. The findings have gained significance following the flash floods in Nepal that killed 272 people. Scientists are investigating the exact cause of the disaster, with one factor under consideration being rainfall at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above, where snowfall was previously more common.
A scientist from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology said warming could explain the shift from snowfall to rainfall at such elevations, as well as the rapid retreat of glaciers. One of the ICIMOD reports, the HKH Glacier Outlook 2026, analysed data from 38 monitored glaciers and found that glacial wastage had doubled since 2000. However, it also highlighted gaps in monitoring, noting that only seven of the 38 glaciers met the global monitoring standards set by the World Glacier Monitoring Service. Regions including the Karakoram, Sikkim, Zanskar and Bhutan remained largely unmonitored.
Researchers are investigating whether an ice-rock avalanche from a high-altitude area may have triggered the Nepal floods. A large amount of ice and rock debris may have entered Lende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, causing a sudden surge of water, sediment and boulders downstream. Researchers said the changing conditions are linked to climate change, with declining snow cover and retreating glaciers exposing more rocky and barren areas. These areas absorb more heat, potentially making slopes more vulnerable. The exact cause of the floods, however, has not yet been established.
The Hindu Kush Himalaya contains more than 63,700 glaciers covering over 55,000 square kilometres. These glaciers are the sources of 10 major river systems in Asia and support food, water, energy and livelihood security for billions of people. According to the March reports, at least 78 per cent of the glacier area located between 4,500 and 6,000 metres is highly exposed to elevation-dependent warming. The reports also noted that glacier losses varied across the region. The eastern Hengduan Shan mountains recorded the highest percentage of glacier-area loss, with some areas losing up to 33 per cent of their glacier area over three decades. However, the largest absolute losses were recorded in the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra basins, which together contain more than 74 per cent of the region's glaciers.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.