Hindu Kush Himalayan Snow Drops 23.6% Below Normal in 2025

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Record-breaking crisis hits Himalayan mountains as snow levels plunge to lowest point in 23 years, threatening water for billions across Asia.

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Snow vanishing 23.6% faster than normal marks the third year in a row of dangerously low snowfall in Asia's crucial "water tower."

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Water crisis looms largest over Southeast Asia where Mekong and Salween rivers lost over half their normal snow cover, leaving millions vulnerable.

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Delayed snowfall shocked scientists when winter remained bone-dry until January instead of normal October snows, blamed on weakening jet streams.

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Water shortages will hit hardest in early summer when rivers typically fed by melting snow will run dangerously low across eight countries.

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Desperate communities will be forced to drill deeper for groundwater as rivers dry up, potentially draining critical underground reserves.

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Carbon emissions have already locked in irreversible snow anomalies," warns top ICIMOD official as drought warnings spread across the region.

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Drought alerts have been issued as crops and drinking water face serious threat in regions already suffering from intensifying heat waves.

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Five of the past six years saw fastest glacier retreat ever recorded in the mountains holding Earth's largest ice reserves outside the polar regions.

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[{"selector":"#anim-4fdb7b81-6af7-4584-b906-e935e9333a79","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e8f98059-9218-4e6e-b1d8-a5188986b452","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f07c4148-0c13-41dc-804c-aad47e89e55d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.50152%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f6a53a5a-81da-4e4a-939b-c840e1703fd4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":700,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e088eb61-63cf-405e-b355-20987dbea8a0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.87301%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":700,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] How Private Biospheres in India Are Combating Climate Crisis with Afforestation Learn more