Climate change threatens water supply in 16 Asian countries

NEW DELHI: The China Water Risk, a think tank has stated that 16 Asian countries are at grave risk as climate change will disrupt water and energy supplies in the region. The Hindu Kush –Himalayan water system has emerged as a major concern for the Asian nations and mentioned that immediate action is needed to protect regional water flows. 10 of the major rivers flow from the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region which generates around 4.3 trillion dollars in GDP annually and is home to over a billion people.

The think tank emphasised that building water-intensive energy infrastructure was making matters worse and that all rivers would face ‘escalating and compounding water risks… if we are unable to rein in emissions.’

The researchers added that the rivers aid three-quarters of hydropower and 44 per cent of coal-fired power in those countries as they are dependent on fossil fuels for their energy requirements to a large extent as more than 300 Giga Watt – enough to power Japan – is situated in regions facing ‘high’ or ‘extremely high’ water risks.

The major rivers include the Brahmaputra and the Ganges flowing from Tibet to India and Bangladesh, China’s Yangtze and Yellow Rivers as well as the Mekong and the Salween Rivers, which are transboundary waterways.   

The Yangtze River basin in China supports around a third of the country’s population and around 15 per cent of its power capacity. The region has already experienced a record-long drought last year, with plummeting hydroelectric output disrupting global supply chains.

Over a billion people will be impacted if the melting of the Himalayan glaciers continues, according to the think tank from last year. In a study conducted by a team from IIT-Indore, melting glaciers and snow are significant factors in the area and, if it continues through the century, it may eventually stop providing water completely.