Lok Sabha Question No. 1020 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-22
Subject: Impact of Glacier Retreat
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAKSHA NIKHIL KHADSE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1020

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.11.2016

## Impact of Glacier Retreat

## 1020. SHRIMATI RAKSHATAI KHADSE:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  assessing  and  understanding  the  Glacier  mass  balance  and their contributions to the Indus river which is more critical than other basins towards the understanding of the impact of glacier retreat on the water cycle in northern India; and
- (b) if so, the details and outcome thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

(a) and (b)         As per study conducted by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology on the mass  balance  and  other  aspects  in  the  Pensilungpa  Glaciers  in  Suru  basin,  Indus  river catchment,  the  glaciers  in  the  basin  are  retreating.  For  long  term  measurement  of  mass balance  and  other  parameters,  the  Space  Applications  Centre  (SAC)  of  Indian  Space Research  Organisation  has  carried  out  two  projects  viz.,  'Snow  and  Glacier  Studies'  and 'Monitoring Snow and Glaciers of Himalayan Region (Phase-II)'. One of the components of these  projects  relates  to  estimation  of  glacier  mass  balance  using  multi-date  satellite  data. Under these two projects glacier mass balance was estimated based on analysis of multi-date satellite data using Accumulation Area Ratio (AAR) approach. Glacier specific mass balance has been estimated for glaciers in 9 sub-basins viz., Nubra, Zanskar, Warwan, Bhut, Chandra, Bhaga, Miyar, Parbati, Baspa of the Indus basin. Observations indicate overall positive mass balance at sub-basin level for Indus basin. Results of the study are given in the table below:

Table: Indicative Specific Mass Balance (SMB) in cm for selected glaciers studied in 9 sub- basins of Indus basin during 2008 to 2013

Units in Centimeter

| Sub-basin   | 2008   | 2009   |   2010 |   2011 |   2012 |   2013 |
|-------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Nubra       | 1.57   | 87.33  |  66.76 |  68.88 |  42.98 |  23.32 |
| Zanskar     | #      | #      |  54.59 |  32.61 |  13.57 |  13.05 |
| Warwan      | -32.3  | 66.51  |  14.21 |  25.61 |  58.93 |  28.55 |
| Bhut        | -2.43  | 37.12  |  16.22 |  10.84 |  14.9  |  41.77 |
| Chandra     | 7.14   | 45.23  |  81.8  | 107.67 |  45.38 |  26.87 |

| Sub-basin   |   2008 |   2009 |   2010 |   2011 |   2012 | 2013   |
|-------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Bhaga       |  49.61 |  84.01 |  19.84 |  81.22 |  50.86 | 74.87  |
| Miyar       | -31.88 | -17.25 |  51.44 |  30.03 |  20.01 | -29.37 |
| Parbati     |   0.56 |  50.89 |  52.84 |  57.43 |   9.02 | 56.35  |
| Basapa      | -51.26 | -11.3  |  48.12 |   5.49 | -36.54 | #      |

# Could not be studied due to cloud cover

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