6 Himalayan glaciers receding at rate of 13-33 mm per year: MoES

NEW DELHI: The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), which has been monitoring the glaciers of the Himalayan region, has observed a decline of 13-33 mm per year in 6 glaciers of the Himalayan region, the government said. The center, which operates under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has been studying the western Himalayas in Chandra basin in Lahaul-Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) since 2013, said, Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Earth Science.

The Minister also added that the six glaciers, namely Sutri Dhaka, Batal, Bara Shigri, Samudra Tapu, Gepang Gath and Kunzum, are being monitored for mass, energy and hydrological balance via a high altitude research station named ‘Himansh’, established at a height of 4,000 meters in the Himalayan terrain.

“The studies carried out by NCPOR in Chandra basin indicate varying rates of retreat of these glaciers in the range 13 to 33 mm per year. The rate of melting varies from glacier to glacier depending on topography and climatic variability of the region,” he added.

Researchers have also revealed that irregularities in the mass balance measurements at Batal and Sutri Dhaka glaciers could be attributed to debris.