Planning for an Apex Glacier Management Body in the Indian Himalayan Region: Insights from a Parliamentary Report on Water Resources

On March 29, 2023, the Twenty-Third Report of the Standing Committee on Water Resources was presented in the 17^th Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Jal Shakti-Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation on glacier management. This blog summarises the parliamentary committee's observations and recommendations based on research conducted by various organisations working on glacier studies in the Indian Himalaya. The committee emphasised on the pressing need to monitor the Indian Himalayan Region due to sudden warming, the impact of black carbon emissions, budget limitations, mountain hazards, and the importance of a dedicated institute with an early warning system. The blog also highlights the significance of reviving springs in the Himalayan region and proposes the creation of a central authority for glacier management.

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Introduction

Glaciers in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), also known as the ‘Water Towers of Asia’, are crucial to the hydrological cycles as they are the source of three major river systems: Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. These glacier-fed river systems support millions of people living in Himalaya ensuring water availability even during bleak periods due to its consistent base flow. However, frequent disasters in the region such as landslides and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) pose a significant risk to the stability of water resources and the lives of those living in the lower reaches. Recently a Parliamentary Committee examined these aspects and presented a report on the impact of glacier melting/retreat and the risks posed by GLOFs.

A glacier is a mass of ice having a minimum size of 0.1 sq km, formed by snowfall, moving slowly under gravity. The Himalayan cryosphere, plays an important role as a perennial source of water for irrigation, hydropower, and domestic needs, and is a sensitive indicator of climate change. The IHR has 9,775 glaciers as listed by an inventory of Geological Survey of India (GSI), many of which are melting due to climate change and can severely affect the flow of Himalayan River Systems leading to disasters like GLOFs and landslides.

Melting and Retreating of Himalayan Glaciers

According to studies conducted to estimate the mass balance and retreat of glaciers in IHR, the glaciers are shrinking and losing mass, except for some in the Karakoram that are growing or advancing. A recent study, spanning India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan reveals that glaciers melted at a pace of 0.25 m annually from 1975 to 2000 and the rate of melting has doubled since 2000 to approximately 0.5 m per year. As a result, the retreat and melting of Himalayan glaciers pose a significant threat to the country's water security. However, there is not much data on the loss of volume of glaciers in the IHR.

Black Carbon and its Impact on Himalayan Glaciers

Black carbon formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels consists of pure carbon with some oxygen and hydrogen. It absorbs sunlight and emits radiation contributing to the faster melting of glaciers in the Himalayas. Studies have detected a moderate presence of carbonaceous aerosols including black carbon on glaciers. The Government of India has taken several steps to reduce pollution in the IHR such as leapfrogging to BS-VI norms, introducing cleaner fuels, promoting electric vehicles, and setting up waste processing plants. The National Clean Air Programme aims to reduce PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels by 20-30 per cent by 2024, and city-specific clean air action plans have been implemented in non-attainment cities. Many States have also taken measures, including banning the burning of plastic and garbage and regulating the number of vehicles plying to Rohtang pass in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Observation and Recommendations

The Parliamentary Committee has made some observations regarding the status of Indian Himalayan glaciers and came up with the following recommendations.

Need to Monitor the IHR

There is a total ice volume of 1,306.1 cu km (equivalent to around 1,110 cu km of water) in glacierised basins of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers. However, there is no specific information available about the separate volumes of ice and snow water. In recent years, the thinning of Himalayan glaciers has accelerated, resulting in increased glacier melt, sediment load, and altered hydrological behaviour in the mountain region and downstream. Therefore, it is essential to closely and frequently monitor glacier discharge, glacial lakes, and possibility of GLOFs in the IHR to determine the current and future responses of glaciers and glacial lakes. This monitoring is also critical for predicting and mitigating potential disasters that may arise in the future.

Warming of the Himalayan-Karakorum Region

The Himalayan-Karakoram region is warming faster than the global average by 0.5°C, leading to local hydrological changes and threats to infrastructure due to extreme weather events. Smaller glaciers in the region are more vulnerable to climate change. The global temperature has risen by 1.1°C since pre-industrial levels and India's mean temperature has risen by 0.7°C from 1901 to 2018. The glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayas are shrinking, with snow cover decreasing since the early 21^st century. The global mean sea level is rising by 3.7 mm per year, potentially submerging coastal cities in India. Urgent action is required to address the challenges posed by global warming and climate change.

Need to Check the Emission of Black Carbon

The impact of atmospheric pollution on Himalayan glaciers has not been extensively researched by various organisations in India. However, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) conducted a study at the Himansh station in Lahaul-Spiti and found that Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) levels varied significantly with mineral dust components comprising around 67 per cent. The study also showed that black carbon accounted for approximately 4 per cent of the near-surface composite aerosol mass concentrations and absorbed more sunlight, emitting infrared radiation that increased temperature. The increased presence of black carbon in the Himalaya is believed to contribute to the accelerated melting of glaciers. The Committee has advised that the DWR, RD &GR, in consultation with other relevant Ministries/Departments/Agencies, should fund a comprehensive research project to investigate this issue and provide timely findings.

Need for an Overarching Apex Body for Glacier Management

The Committee proposed the establishment of a Central Authority to manage glaciers in India recognising their crucial strategic importance as a national resource. Currently, several Ministries, Departments, and Institutions are responsible for dealing with various aspects of glaciers. The GSI handles glacier surveys and inventory maintenance, while the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) leads climate change policy. The Department of Science & Technology (DST) conducts glacier research, and the NCPOR, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has conducted studies on few specific glaciers. However, due to the strategic role of glaciers and the challenges posed by climate change and global warming, the Committee advocates the formation of a single agency responsible for coordinating and monitoring all aspects of Himalayan glaciers. The Agency should be given a well-defined mandate by amending the Allocation of Business Rules to ensure that fragmented research and studies do not hinder actionable steps toward mitigating potential glacier-related risks.

Need for a Dedicated Mountain Hazard and Research Institute

The Committee has identified shortcomings in the research and monitoring of glacial lakes and water bodies in the IHR. The GSI has not conducted any specific studies on glacier volume loss or projections for the future and there is no comprehensive information on glacier volume loss. Additionally, the MoEFCC has not conducted any studies on the warming of Himalayan glaciers, and the Central Water Commission(CWC) has not issued any advisories to local governments regarding potential floods caused by avalanches and landslides. There is also no specific information available on which areas of the Himalayas are most at risk for glacier melting and resulting GLOF. Furthermore, no studies have been conducted by ISRO and GSI to analyse the origin and enlargement of glacial lakes near human settlements and their potential to cause lake outbursts. Given these gaps, the Committee prescribes the establishment of a national level organisation to coordinate research and data collection on Himalayan glaciers, maintain a reliable database, and issue early warnings and alerts about potential hazards to stakeholders and the public.

The DST proposed a single agency to coordinate with various agencies responsible for handling hydrometeorological and hydrogeological hazards. The MoEFCC suggested assigning the responsibility for coordinating activities related to Himalayan glaciers to a single agency within the Government of India such as the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) which already coordinates with various government agencies in conducting studies on glaciers. The MoES put forward an idea of a network of fully equipped and integrated monitoring systems supported by field stations to monitor glaciers and glacier-bound hazards and to create an early warning system. ISRO could use satellite remote sensing to monitor glacial lakes and water bodies, while the Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), under DRDO, recommended an integrated approach to manage debris flow and GLOF risks and conduct a systematic risk assessment study.

Need for  Sufficient Budgetary Allocations for Glacier Research

Through a written submission the DWR, RD & GR informed the Parliamentary Committee that for the past five years, a very small amount of funds is allocated and spent for conducting research on the field by various Ministries/Departments dealing with glacier management and monitoring. However, a proper assessment is required to monitor temporal changes in glaciers which requires substantial funds to carry out field-based studies. As the challenges of managing and monitoring the glacier movement/behaviour and mitigation of hazards arising therefrom are enormous, the Committee recommend the Government to allocate adequate budgetary resources to the concerned Ministries/Departments involved in the research in the field to meet their financial requirements and for ensuring that the activities related to research and monitoring of glaciers do not suffer due to shortage of funds.

Need for the Revival of Springs in the Himalayas

The NITI Aayog Report of 2018 warned that nearly 60 per cent of water sources in IHR were at risk of drying up. The report suggested initiating a National Spring Water Management Programme. The DWR, RD & GR has complied with NITI Aayog's recommendations by creating a database of springs in the mountainous regions of India. This database was analysed to create a spring GIS, which is available on the Survey of India G2G portal. The Committee appreciates this initiative but urges the Department to take necessary measures to revive springs in the Himalayan region. As millions of people rely solely on springs for their drinking, domestic, and agricultural water needs, the Committee requests a status update within three months of this report's presentation.

Need for Data-Sharing Agreements

The Committee notes that while India has treaties with neighbouring countries for sharing water and hydrological information, there are no specific agreements for sharing glacier-related data. The Committee endorses that regional cooperation is necessary to address the risks of glacier-related floods and water management challenges. It commended that the Department of Water Resources work with the MEA to establish agreements with neighbouring countries for sharing data on changing glacier conditions. The Committee also recognises obstacles in national data-sharing related to glaciological research and backed setting up a common data-sharing platform under a single agency to enable the seamless exchange of data.

Need to Strengthen the Network of Monitoring Stations

With only a few conventional stations set up by various agencies, IHR lacks sufficient meteorological and monitoring stations. Additionally, there is a lack of monitoring of glaciers and glacial lakes due to their remote locations. This is a concern, given the importance of glaciers in ensuring water security and the occurrence of extreme hydro-meteorological events due to climate change. The Committee recommends setting up a comprehensive network of high-altitude meteorological and discharge stations in the Himalayan region, collaborating with relevant agencies, and exploring the conversion of conventional stations to automatic stations. It also suggests proactively identifying vulnerable locations for flood forecasting stations instead of relying solely on requests from state governments.

Need to Bring Smaller Glaciers under the Purview of Monitoring

The Committee noted that there are over 2,000 large water bodies and glacial lakes in the Himalayan region of Indian River Basins, with over 400 of them being more than 50 hectares in size. Currently, only 95 of these are being monitored during monsoon season by the Central Water Commission. However, the Committee believes that smaller water bodies and glaciers are also vulnerable to climate change and melting, as seen in the Chamoli incident in Uttarakhand in early 2021. Therefore, the Committee advocates that the DWR, RD & GR monitor smaller water bodies throughout the year and collaborate with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to update their inventory of glacial lakes and water bodies.

Need for a Robust Early Warning System

The Committee has observed a recent increase in mountain hazards such as GLOF, LLOF, snow avalanches, cloud bursts, and landslides. It believes that a robust early warning system is essential and that these hazards are interconnected, potentially causing multiple disasters. However, current warning systems are not adequate as they are designed for only a single disaster per system. The Committee recommends that the DWR, RD & GR, in consultation with other government agencies, should establish a multi-hazard early warning system for mountainous hazards. They also emphasise the importance of protecting the green cover in valleys adjacent to glaciers as it acts as a buffer and helps reduce the impact of climate change. The Committee urges the DWR to work with other concerned Ministries to preserve the Himalayan glacier system.

Need to Evolve Land Use Regulations

The Committee suggests that well-established procedures for land use planning and zoning in the Himalayan States, particularly in landslide and flood-prone areas, can greatly reduce the impact of disasters. They were informed by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) that a committee should be created to formulate specific regulations for land use zoning and building construction under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Although the National Building Code of India contains a Uniform Code for construction practices, a Policy on Sediment Management is still in the drafting stage. The Committee recommends that the DWR, RD & GR should create a committee to formulate specific regulations and work closely with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to ensure adherence to National Building Code of India (NBC) norms. They want to be updated on progress within three months.

Need to Strengthen the Functioning of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

The NDRF is a specialised force that responds to national and man-made disasters but lacks certain equipment, including heavy machinery and modern muck-cleaning instruments. The NDRF relies on local authorities to provide such equipment at the incident site, which can hamper rescue efforts during critical times. The NDRF is also dependent on the Indian Air Force and state governments for airlifting and transportation, causing delays. To improve efficiency and response times, the Committee recommends that the NDRF should have its own inventory of modern search and rescue equipment, its own fleet of aircraft, and should work closely with states to raise and train their own disaster response teams. The DWR, RD & GR should take up these suggestions with the Ministry of Home Affairs/NDMA to streamline the working of NDRF.

Need for both Union and States to Work in Tandem 

No specific disaster management plan exists for Himalayan states; only Uttarakhand has developed its own plan. NDMA has only issued guidelines and no manuals or SOPs for dealing with disasters such as floods, cloudbursts, and avalanches. The Committee favoured recognising the role of state governments in monitoring and researching glaciers and issuing warnings and urges NDMA to improve its disaster management apparatus. The guidelines should be implemented properly, and cooperation between union ministries and state governments should be strengthened to improve efficacy and capacity building.

Public Awareness Programme

The Committee commends Government Departments/Agencies for educating and empowering people in environmental conservation through training, demonstrations, and information dissemination in the IHR. They expect sustained training programmes and public awareness initiatives to combat the worsening impact of climate change in the region. The Department should involve various media channels and academia to create widespread public awareness about the consequences of global warming.

Reference

Standing Committee on Water Resources, (2023). Glacier Management in the Country- Monitoring of Glaciers/Lakes including Glacial Lake Outbursts leading to Flash-floods in the Himalayan Region, Ministry of Jal Shakti Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.