Lok Sabha Question No. 664 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-03
Subject: Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Himalayas
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Dr. Indra Hang Subba

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 664 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 3 RD  DECEMBER, 2025

## ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HIMALAYAS

## 664. DR. INDRA HANG SUBBA:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is any existing scheme of the Government for investigation and study of adverse effects of climate change on Himalayas and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the measures taken/being taken to monitor glacier retreat in the Himalayas;
- (c) the  details  of  the  number  of  national  institutions  and  universities  that  have  been involved/funded by the Government in studying Himalayan glaciers;
- (d) the details of the number of glaciers in Sikkim that have been monitored in real time; and
- (e) whether  the Government  has  established/proposed  to establish any Center of Excellence for study of Himalayan glaciers and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes Sir. The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through its autonomous institute, the National  Centre  of  Polar  and  Ocean  Research  (NCPOR),  has  been  monitoring Himalayan glaciers under the Cryosphere and Climate program, a component of the Polar Science and Cryosphere Research (PACER) sub-scheme. Under this program, NCPOR  has  been  systematically  monitoring  limited  representative  glaciers  in  the western and eastern Himalaya to understand differential glacial response due to climate change and its impact on downstream hydrology.

Department  of  Science  and  Technology  (DST)  has  supported  various  research  & development projects for studying Himalayan Glaciers under the National Mission for Sustaining  Himalayan  Ecosystem  (NMSHE)  and  National  Mission  on  Strategic Knowledge  for  Climate  Change  (NMSKCC).  Recently,  the  National  Glacial  Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) Risk Mitigation Programme (NGRMP) phase -I was initiated by NDMA for implementation initially in four states (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim  and  Arunachal  Pradesh)  and  two  UT  (J&K  and  Ladakh).  NGRMP  has  a provision  to  establish  many  Early  Warning  Systems  in  above  said  states  for strengthening  the  mechanism  to  enhance  GLOF  resilience  through  local-level interventions.

- (b) Several Indian institutes/universities/organizations funded by the Government of India through Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Ministry of Mines  (MoM)  and  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  (MoJS)  monitor  Himalayan  glaciers  for various  scientific  studies  including  glacier  retreat  and  have  reported  accelerated heterogeneous mass loss in Himalayan glaciers. The mean retreat rate of Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers is 14.9 ± 15.1 meter/annum (m/a); which varies from 12.7 ± 13.2 m/a in Indus, 15.5 ± 14.4 m/a in Ganga and 20.2 ± 19.7 m/a in Brahmaputra River basins (the figure after ± are the standard deviations or spread in the data). However, glaciers in the Karakoram region have shown comparatively minor length change (1.37 ± 22.8 m/a).

MoES  through  its  autonomous  institute,  the  National  Centre  for  Polar  and  Ocean Research (NCPOR) has been monitoring six glaciers in the Chandra basin (2437 km 2 area)  in  western  Himalaya  since  2013.  A  state-of-the-art  field  research  station 'Himansh' established  in  Chandra basin and  operational  since  2016  for  conducting field  experiment  and  expeditions  to  glaciers.  The  glacier  inventory  prepared  by NCPOR for the Chandra basin shows that it has lost about 6% of its glacial area during last  20 years. Annual rate of retreat of Chandra basin glaciers varies from 13 to 33 meter/year during last decade.

- (c) Over  more than  20  national  institutions/  state  and  central  universities  are  currently conducting research on Himalayan glaciers including National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR)-MoES, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (GB-NIHE), Centre for Cryosphere and Climate  Change  Studies  (C4S)  at  National  Institute  of  Hydrology  (NIH),  National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Jawaharlal Nehru University  (JNU), University of Kashmir (UoK), University of Delhi, University of Lucknow, Various Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) (Bombay, Roorkee, Ropar, Bhubaneswar, Indore), Various Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER's) (Pune, Bhopal), Sikkim University, Centre for Earth Science and Himalayan Studies (CES & HS), Nagaland University, Central University  of  Rajasthan,  Hemvati  Nandan  Bahuguna  Garhwal  University,  Tezpur University.
- (d) Two glacial lakes (South Lhonak and Shako Cho) have been monitored in real time in Sikkim.
- (e) Yes Sir. Three Centers of Excellence (CoE) for Glacial Studies were established at the Universities  of  Sikkim,  Tezpur  and  Kashmir  by  the  Department  of  Science  & Technology  (DST),  Govt.  of  India  under  the  National  Mission  for  Sustaining  the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE).

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