"Melting Himalayas Threaten India's Water and Economy"
Peak Water
Point when glacier-derived runoff reaches its maximum then declines.
Black carbon
Light-absorbing particulate from incomplete combustion accelerating snow melt.
The Himalayan mountain chain is the primary high-altitude water store for South Asia. Snow and glaciers capture winter precipitation and release meltwater during dry months, sustaining perennial flow in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra basins. Glacier mass balance, the net gain or loss of ice, determines how long this natural buffer persists. Under warming, accelerated ablation produces a temporary surge in meltwater followed by a decline once stored ice shrinks; this phenomenon is described as Peak Water. Himalayan basins are also disaster hotspots where slope instability, glacial lake breaches and extreme precipitation events generate floods and landslides.
Regional governance is fragmented. Much of the high-altitude headwater landscape sits on the Tibetan Plateau, making upstream hydrology subject to cross-border dynamics. Existing data-sharing arrangements with upper-riparian states are often discretionary rather than automatic, creating gaps in early warning and transboundary coordination. National institutions in India combine basin-level planning with state responsibility for water supply, but the Himalayan-specific risk of shrinking glacier reservoirs requires integrated adaptation across sectors.
Glaciers act as seasonal and multi-year reservoirs. During warmer decades, glaciers give extra runoff that can temporarily augment river flow and hydropower generation. After Peak Water, however, flows decline, reducing baseflow in dry seasons and making surface and groundwater recharge less reliable. The sectors exposed are agriculture (especially irrigation for wheat and rice in the Indo-Gangetic plain), hydropower in the Himalayan foothills and Northeast, municipal water supplies for growing cities, and river-dependent industries.
Black carbon is a local-forcing agent that accelerates glacier melt by darkening snow surfaces and increasing solar absorption. …
Consider the following pairs:
Glacier — River
1.Bandarpunch — Yamuna
2.Bara Shigri — Chenab
3.Milam — Mandakini
4.Siachen — Nubra
5.Zemu — Manas
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Which of the following are the key features of 'National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)'?
1.River basin is the unit of planning and management.
2.It spearheads the river conservation efforts at the national level.
3.One of the Chief Ministers of the States through which the Ganga flows becomes the Chairman of NGRBA on rotation basis.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far-reaching impact on the water resources of India ?
Consider the following regarding black carbon and Himalayan glaciers:
1.Regional modelling attributes roughly one-third of glacier mass loss to South Asian black carbon. 2. Snow-darkening from soot increases surface absorption of sunlight. 3. Black carbon originates only from natural forest fires.
Which of the following statements about Peak Water and Himalayan glacier melt are correct?
1.Peak Water denotes the year when annual glacier mass loss first begins. 2. Peak Water implies a temporary increase in runoff followed by long-term decline. 3. After Peak Water, glacial contribution to dry-season baseflow declines.
The Systemiq report cited an economic dependence metric. Which best describes it?
A.Percentage of GDP that would be immediately lost if all Himalayan glaciers melted.
B.Share of economic activity that can be traced to Himalayan water dependence.
C.Percent of public expenditure spent on Himalayan disaster relief.
Which of the following policy measures directly reduces the 'snow-darkening' effect on Himalayan glaciers?
1.Upgrading brick-kilns to reduce particulate emissions
2.Expanding irrigation to increase cloud cover locally
3.Reducing crop-residue burning in the airshed
Select the correct answer code:
Match the following technologies with their effect on brick-kiln emissions:
A.Zigzag kiln
B.Traditional kiln
Select the correct pair:
Want the full note, Prelims Facts & MCQ answers?
Create a free account — takes less than a minute.
Create free account