The glaciers of the Himalayas — the Third Pole, as scientists now call them — are retreating 65% faster than they were a decade ago, quietly reshaping the water future of hundreds of millions of people across South Asia. What was once a distant environmental concern has become an immediate economic and humanitarian reckoning, as the rivers fed by these glaciers underpin roughly a fifth of India's GDP while the mountain communities bearing the greatest risk capture only a fraction of that wealth. Catastrophic floods have already claimed thousands of lives, and scientists warn that the window to
Himalayan glaciers melting 65% faster, threatening India's economy and hundreds of millions
Recent devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet killed over 1,300 people; 2023 Sikkim glacial lake burst killed 70+; 2021 Uttarakhand disaster killed 200+.